THREE CAPITALS PROPOSAL FM to head High Power Panel

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In pre-dawn raids on farmers'houses in Amaravati region,the police arrested seven per-sons on Sunday. The arrestedfarmers were lodged in apolice station at Tenali.

The farmers went aheadwith their agitation and madeit clear that they were ready forany sacrifice for the sake of thecapital. They organised 'Vanta-Varpu' programmes at variousplaces on the roads in theregion.

TDP State president KimidiKala Venkata Rao condemnedthe police action saying it wasthe most undemocratic act."Why is the government treat-ing farmers like terrorists. Dofarmers have to move in theirvillages holding Aadhaarcards?" he asked.

He alleged that the policewere foisting cases against thefarmers, who were stagingpeaceful protests. He said thegovernment was behaving inan autocratic manner. "I won-der if I am living in a democ-ratic country," he said.

The government, which wassupposed to work for the wel-fare of the people, was throt-tling their voices. Is question-ing wrong?" he asked.

Kala Venkata Rao said thegovernment should recognisethat the people had the rightto question the governmentand if the government wasintolerant to discordant voic-es, the people would revoltagainst it.

Continued on Page 3

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Rajya Sabha MP YSChowdhary aka SujanaChowdhary on Sunday saidthat the Jaganmohan Reddygovernment could not movean inch out of Amaravati. TheCentre had certain powers toprevent it from doing so, hepointed out.

Speaking to the media hereon Sunday, he said the Stategovernment would have topay a compensation of about

Rs 90,000 crore to the con-tractors if it wanted to changethe capital. "Is the govern-ment ready to pay such a hugecompensation?" he questioned.

Recalling that as anOpposition leader, ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy had endorsedAmaravati as the capital in the

Assembly, but now he hadchanged tack after becomingthe Chief Minister.

Sujana Chowdhary said nota single project was complet-ed in the past seven months

after his party came to powerin the State. He said no YSRCPMLA had opposed construc-tion of Amaravati in the past,he added.

Continued on Page 3

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*Late City Vol. 2 Issue 59*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Established 1864Published From

VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPALRAIPUR CHANDIGARH BHUBANESWAR

RANCHI DEHRADUNHYDERABAD

TDP State presidentKimidi Kala VenkataRao condemned thepolice action, sayingit was the mostundemocratic act

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated December 29, 2019 5:00 PM

ALMANACTODAY

Month & Paksham:Paush & Shukla PakshaPanchangamTithi : Chaturthi: 01:54 pm Nakshatram: Dhanishtha 10:47 pm Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 08:11 am- 09:33 amYamagandam: 10:56 am – 12:18 pm

Varjyam: 06:47 am- 08:34 am

Gulika: 01:40 pm - 03:03 pmGood Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 11:56 am - 01:09 pmAbhijit Muhurtham: 11:56 am - 12:40 pm

VIJAYAWADAWEATHERForecast: Partly CloudyTemp: 30/18Humidity: 63%Sunrise: 06.45Sunset: 05.51

Pejawar Math head Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji, one of the prominentreligious leaders of South India, died here on Sunday

after a brief illness, math sources said. The 88-year oldswamij, a prominent face of the VHP'sRamjanmabhoomi movement, breathed his last on thepremises of the Pejawar math in this holy town, theysaid. The Karnataka government announced a three-daystate mourning. The last rites of the seer will beperformed at the Vidyapeetha in Bengaluru, foundedby him, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said.

PEJWAR MATH HEAD VISHWESHATHEERTHA SWAMIJI PASSES AWAY

INDIAN-AMERICANS STAGE PROTEST RALLY AGAINST CAA

HEMANT SOREN TAKES OATH AS11TH CM OF JHARKHANDJMM working president Hemant Soren was on Sunday sworn in as the

11th Chief Minister of Jharkhand at Morhabadi Ground in Ranchi.Governor Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office and secrecy toSoren, in the presence of senior political leaders and ChiefMinisters from across the States. This will be the 44-year-old JMM leader's second stint as Jharkhand ChiefMinister. Along with Soren, Congress Legislature PartyLeader Alamgir Alam, state Congress presidentRameshwar Oraon and RJD MLA Satyanand Bhoktawere also sworn in as ministers.

Agroup of Indian-Americans gathered around the Mahatma Gandhistatue in front of the Indian Embassy here and staged a peaceful

protest against the recently amended Citizenship Act.Displaying posters like ‘United Against Hate' and ‘Stop Dividing India,'the protesters, in all, 150 Indian-Americans from the Greater WashingtonArea, on Saturday alleged that India'ssecularism is under threat. They raisedslogans against the BJP-led governmentand sang the national anthem.

3 INDIANS KILLED IN EGYPT ROAD ACCIDENTThree Indians were killed and 13 others injured when two buses

carrying tourists crashed into a truck in Egypt's Suez governorate, theIndian embassy here said on Sunday. The buses were heading to thebeach-resort town of Hurghada onSaturday when they collided with thetruck near Ain Sokhna town, about 120km east of Cairo. "We regret to informthat 3 Indian citizens have lost their livesin the bus accident that occurred onDecember 28 near Ain Sokhna.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The State government onSunday constituted a HighPower Committee headed byFinance and Legislative AffairsMinister BugganaRajendranath Reddy to exam-ine the recommendations ofthe GN Rao Committee andBoston Consultancy Group(BCG) before making a finalannouncement on the capitalcity.

According to a GO issued tothis effect, the other membersof the committee are Revenue& Registration, Minister forMA & UD, Minister forIndustries, Minister forEducation, Minister for Home,Minister for Agriculture &Horticulture, Minister forAnimal Husbandry, Fisheries& Marketing, Minister for CivilSupplies, Minister forTransport Information &Public Relations, PrincipalAdvisor to Chief Minister,Director General of Police,Chief Commission of LandAcquisition & Special ChiefSecretary, Secretary, MA &UD, Secretary, Law and Chief

Secretary, Member Convenor.The government had earli-

er constituted an ExpertCommittee headed by GN Raoto take a quick review of thedevelopment plans initiatedso far and suggest comprehen-sive development strategy forall-round development of theState, including capital.

Accordingly, the GN RaoCommittee has submitted itsreport on ComprehensiveDevelopment Strategy for the

entire State, including the cap-ital of AP. Following this, thegovernment held various delib-erations and decided to consti-tute a High Power Committeeto examine the recommenda-tions of the GN RaoCommittee on the concept ofdecentralised development andwork out a strategy on the wayforward keeping in view thevarious provisions of theReorganisation Act.

Continued on Page 3

THREE CAPITALS PROPOSAL

FM to head High Power PanelJagan can't move capital fromAmaravati: YS Chowdhary

PNS n ISLAMABAD

Saudi Arabia plans to convenea meeting of the foreign min-isters of member states of theOrganisation of IslamicCooperation (OIC) for a dis-cussion on the situation inKashmir, according to aPakistani media report.

Saudi Foreign MinisterPrince Faisal bin Farhan con-veyed this to his Pakistanicounterpart Shah MehmoodQureshi during a meeting withhim at the Foreign Office onThursday, Dawn reported,quoting a diplomatic source.

Prince Faisal was on a day-long visit to Pakistan to con-vey the Saudi leadership's grat-itude for not participating inthe recently held Kuala

Lumpur summit of Muslimnations in view of the GulfKingdom's reservations, thepaper reported. "The twoForeign Ministers discussedOIC's role in the advance-ment of the cause of Kashmir,"

the Foreign Office said in astatement. Qureshi briefedPrince Faisal on the situationin Kashmir in the aftermath ofIndia's move to abrogate arti-cle 370 on August 5.

He also "highlighted the

Indian government's actionswith regard to CAA(Citizenship Amendment Act2019) and NRC (NationalRegister of Citizens) and thesystematic targeting of minori-ties in India, particularlyMuslims," the FO said.

The OIC is a 57-membergrouping of Muslim majoritynations, including Pakistan.The body has usually beensupportive of Pakistan andoften sided with Islamabad onthe Kashmir issue.

In a brief statement, theOIC last week said it was"closely following recent devel-opments affecting Muslimminority in India."

Prince Faisal also called onPrime Minister Imran Khan.The meeting was attended by

Foreign Minister Qureshi,Foreign Secretary SohailMahmood, spy agency ISIchief Lt Gen Faiz Hameedand other senior officials.

Khan told the Saudi minis-ter that alleged ceasefire viola-tions by India along the Lineof Control were "stoking ten-sions and imperiling regionalpeace and security".

The Kuala Lumpur summithad found strong support inPakistan because of Saudi'sgrowing trade ties with Indiaand the OIC's failure to takestrong stance on Muslimissues. The day-long visit of theSaudi minister came after crit-icism of the alleged pressureapplied by the Gulf Kingdomon Pakistan to skip the KualaLumpur summit.

PNS n HYDERABAD

In the backdrop of violencethat broke out in various partsof the country during NationalRegister of Citizens (NRC)and Citizenship (Amendment)Act (CAA) protests, VicePresident M. Venkaiah Naidusaid on Sunday that violenceand democracy do not gotogether.

"Dissent has to be expressedin a peaceful manner," he saidat the inaugural event of thebirth centenary celebrationshere of the late Chief Ministerof united Andhra Pradesh, MChanna Reddy.

The Vice-President called

for enlightened, meaningfuland constructive debate onCAA, NRC and the NationalPopulation Register (NPR).

Continued on Page 3

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Call money racket hasclaimed yet another life in thecity on Sunday. Unable tobear the harassment of thecall money racket gang, Prem(36), a private transportemployee (Rapido), jumpedinto Buckingham canal atTadepalli village and endedhis life. Before committingsuicide, the deceased cap-tured a selfie video and men-tioned the four-member callmoney racket membersKasula Ranga Rao, KolaKiran, Kola Rambabu andTupakula Ramesh, wereresponsible for his death asthey harassed him. He statedthat the call money gang lentRs 4 lakh and demanded Rs16 lakh, driving him to takethe extreme step.

He also mentioned that hecomplained to the Patamatapolice but the police failed toact on it. He further stated inthe selfie video that the fouraccused abused him in thename of caste at the Patamatapolice station in the presenceof the police, however, noaction was taken by thepolice.

PNS n PUNE

Union Minister DharmendraPradhan said here onSaturday that only those whowill say "Bharat Mata Ki Jai"will stay in India. He wasaddressing the 54th stateconference of the AkhilBhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP).

"Whether the sacrificegiven by Bhagat Singh andSubhas Chandra Bose will gowaste? People have fought forfreedom not because we haveto count after 70 years who allare citizens. Whether we willmake this country aDharamshala?" askedPradhan.

"Whosoever comes willstay here? We have to acceptthe challenges on this issue.We have to make this thoughtclear. In Bharat, it's mandato-ry to say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai',only such type of people willstay," he said.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy has con-gratulated Women GrandMaster Koneru Humpy onwinning the Women WorldRapid Chess Championshipdefeating Lei Tingjie (China)in the playoff match. The

Chief Ministersaid that it is ap r o u dmoment forthe people ofA n d h r a

Pradesh and ofIndia with Grand

Master making her best movein the Rapid Chess formatand wished her success in allfuture tournaments.

nThe governmenthas issued anorder constitutingthe High PowerCommittee. TheGO said the HighPower Committeemay seek theadvice of theAdvocate Generalin regard to furthercourse of actionfor compliance

n It will also take into account the recommendations of the BostonConsultancy Group while finalising the strategy and give itsrecommendations within three weeks, the GO said

Violence, democracy donot go together: V-P

M Venkaiah Naidu

CM hailsHumpy's feat

2019'S AAKHRI MANN KI BAAT

Youth doesn’t like anarchy,instability, nepotism: PM PNS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister NarendraModi on Sunday said the youthof India doesn't like anarchy,instability and nepotism on hismonthly radio programmeMann Ki Baat.

"The youth in India likes tofollow the system They ques-tion the system when it doesnot work and don't like anar-chy as they question the loop-holes in the system Whattoday's youth dislikes is insta-bility, chaos, nepotism," said

PM Modi. Modi's commentcomes at a time when studentsacross the country have beenprotesting against the con-

tentious CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA).

He further said that thenew generation was an embod-iment of a new system and neworder which will elevate thecountry to greater heights.

"Our new generation is anembodiment, a reflection of anew system, a new order, a newage, a new thought. These arethe very people who have toelevate the country to greaterheights", the Prime Ministertold listeners during Mann KiBaat address.

‘Firms will move fromhiring to attracting in 2020’PNS n MUMBAI

With the workforce trans-formed significantly over thelast decade, a study has revealedthat hiring is no more aboutrecruitment but about attract-ing as there are increasingnumber of dropouts, and attri-tion rate has peaked beyond22%. About 78 per cent of com-panies in a survey admit thathiring and retaining hasbecome more difficult com-pared to the previous year,according to 'The 2020 TalentTechnology Outlook' study byresearch-backed innovative tal-ent solution provider SCIKEY.

Longer time to hire, increas-

ing number of dropouts andattrition that has peakedbeyond 22 per cent indicatethat hiring has not just becomeexpensive and difficult, butalso the inability to attractright talent is impacting thebusiness, the study showed.

About 68 per cent ofemployees are partially or fullydisengaged, leading to billionsof dollars in productivity loss,it said. The study also showedthat organisations in 2020 willwake up to this reality and seetechnology going beyond peo-ple-intensive hiring to a tech-driven and branding-focusedinitiative that will attract talentfaster.

7 Capital Region farmersheld in pre-dawn raids

Chant ‘BharatMata ki Jai' tostay in India,says Pradhan

The Stategovernment wouldhave to pay totalcompensation ofabout Rs 90,000crore to thecontractors if itwanted to changethe capital. "Is thegovernment readyto pay such a hugecompensation?"he questioned

Prince Faisal bin Farhan

In a briefstatement, theOIC last weeksaid it was"closelyfollowingrecentdevelopmentsaffectingMuslim minorityin India"

Call moneyracket claimsyet anotherlife in city

Panel willsubmit reportin 21 days:BotsaPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The 16-member High PowerCommittee comprisingCabinet Ministers and IASofficers will submit its report in21 days, said Minister forMunicipal AdministrationBotsa Satyanarayana.

Speaking to the media hereon Sunday, the MunicipalAdministration Minister saidalready GN Rao Committeereport was submitted to thegovernment and BostonConsulting Group (BCG)report would be sought onJanuary 3, the High PowerCommittee then would analyseboth the reports and recom-mendations would beannounced in 21 days.

Continued on Page 3

Saudi plans OIC foreign ministers’ meeting on Kashmir

‘Will see if hydro-powerplant possiblein Mahadayibasin’ 8

There's morework I have tofinish: BIG B 5

From city ofpearlsto city of Startups 4

5ThoseopposingCAA are ‘anti-Dalits':JP Nadda

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CAPSULE

Old couple tying the knot winsTwitterati heartsKERALA: Twitter users onSunday tweeted congratulatorymessages as an old couplestaying put in a government-runold age home in Kerala tied theknot. Kochaniyan Menon andLakshmi Ammal, in their late60s, met and fell in love at thehome in Ramavarmapuram inThrissur district. As the weddingpictures of 67-year-oldKochaniyan and 65-year-oldLakshmi, taken on Saturday,went viral, a user wrote: "Let lovecross all borders." Lakshmi worea red silk saree and put jasmineflowers in her hair whileKochaniyan looked dapper intraditional off-white 'mundu'(wrap around sarong) and ashirt.

4 hurt as car rams treeVIJAYAWADA: Four personswere seriously injured when acar rammed a tree in EastGodavari district on Sunday. Theaccident took place atEdugurallapally village inChinturu mandal of the district.Four passengers were trapped inthe car when the car hit the tree.Locals, who witnessed theaccident, rushed the injuredpersons to nearby hospital inBhadrachalam. The accidentoccurred when the car wasproceeding towardsBhadrachalam fromRajahmahendravaram.

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | DECEMBER 30, 2019 vijayawada 02

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The multi-level car parkingfacility may take a shape soonas the state government hasallowed VisakhapatnamMetropolitan RegionDevelopment Authority(VMRDA) to take up the pro-ject with about Rs 80 crore.

The proposed eight storeyedstructure in the busy Siripuramjunction will provide parkingfacility for 510 cars and 792two-wheelers in three levels inthe basement and first and sec-ond floors. The remaining sixfloors will be utilised for com-mercial activity.

Several organisations andcommercial establishments inand around the VMRDA com-plex are relying on on-streetparking, leading to traffic con-gestion. Even the major attrac-tions of the VMRDA inSiripuram, including GurajadaKalakshetram and Children'sarena have been witnessing ahuge footfall during majorevents and weekends. Themotorists had to resort to on-street parking due to lack ofproper parking facilities.

VMRDA chairmanDronamraju Satyanarayanasaid that the MLCP will easethe traffic woes in the busy

Siripuram junction. "While theVMRDA will spend about Rs60 crore from its exchequer onthe project, the GreaterVisakhapatnam MunicipalCorporation will contributethe remaining Rs 20 croreunder the Smart City project,"said Satyanarayana.

The VMRDA had proposedthe parking facility long ago,but did not make any headway

due to feasibility issues andfinances involved in the pro-ject. Due to the same, theVMRDA has now incorporat-ed the commercial space aspectin the project, which mayattract more private partiestowards it and reduce the carparking tariff. The VMRDAhopes that the plot, locatedoverlooking the sea, willbecome an ideal location given

the commercial activity andpotential of the locality.

The space is proposed todesign in such a way that theparking issues are sorted outand the VMRDA gets a rev-enue source of approximatelyto an amount of Rs.60.00 lakhsper month. The VMRDA offi-cials say that the proposed sitewill prove to be an ideal loca-tion for development of com-

mercial space along withMLCP as tens of major com-mercial establishments arelocated in the 500 metre radiusfrom the location of the site.

n The proposed eightstoreyed structure in thebusy Siripuram junctionwill provide parkingfacility for 510 cars and792 two-wheelers inthree levels in thebasement and first andsecond floors. Theremaining six floors willbe utilised forcommercial activity.

n VMRDA chairmanDronamrajuSatyanarayana said thatthe MLCP will ease thetraffic woes in the busySiripuram junction."While the VMRDA willspend about Rs 60 crorefrom its exchequer onthe project, the GreaterVisakhapatnam MunicipalCorporation willcontribute the remainingRs 20 crore under theSmart City project," saidSatyanarayana

Cybercrime: Online paymentsystems may prime targets in 2020PNS n NEW DELHI

More cybercriminal groupswill target online paymentprocessing systems in 2020,researchers from global cyber-security and anti-virus brandKaspersky have warned.

Over the past couple ofyears, so-called JS-skimming(the method of stealing ofpayment card data from onlinestores), has gained immensepopularity among attackers.Kaspersky researchers in theirlatest report said they are cur-rently aware of at least 10 dif-ferent actors involved in thesetype of attacks.

Their number will continueto grow during the next year,the report said, adding that themost dangerous attacks will beon companies that provideservices such as e-commerceas-a-service, which will lead tothe compromise of thousandsof companies.

"This year has been one ofmany important developments.Just as we predicted at the endof 2018, it has seen the emer-gence of new cybercriminalgroups, like CopyPaste, a newgeography of attacks by Silencegroup, cybercriminals shift-ing their focus onto data thathelps to bypass antifraud sys-tems in their attacks," YuriyNamestnikov, SecurityResearcher at Kaspersky, said

in a statement."Behavioural and biometrics

data is on sale on the under-ground market. Additionally,we expected JS-skimmer baseattacks to increase and theydid. With 2020 on the horizon,we recommend security teamsin potentially affected areas ofthe finance industry to gear upfor new challenges,"Namestnikov said.

In addition, cybercriminalswill also target mobile invest-ments apps which have becomemore popular among usersaround the globe, according tothe predictions from Kasperskyon the expected developmentof the threat landscape in thefinancial sector.

Not all of these apps utilizebest security practices, like

multi-factor authentication orprotection of the app connec-tion, which may give cyber-criminals a potential way totarget users of such applica-tions Kaspersky research andmonitoring of undergroundforums suggests that the sourcecode of some popular mobilebanking Trojans was actuallyleaked into the public domain.

Previous similar cases ofmalware source code leakage(like Zeus, SpyEye) resulted inan increased number of newvariations of these Trojans. In2020, this pattern may repeat,the researchers warned.

They said tyhat they expectan increase in the activity ofgroups specialised in criminal-to-criminal sale of networkaccess to banks in the African

and Asian regions, as well as inEastern Europe. Their primetargets are small banks, as wellas financial organizationsrecently bought by big playerswho are rebuilding their cyber-security system in accordancewith the standards of their par-ent companies. Besides, it isexpected that the same banksmay become victims of target-ed ransomware attacks, as banksare among those organisationsthat are more likely to pay a ran-som than accept the loss of data.

"This year has been oneof many importantdevelopments. Just as wepredicted at the end of2018, it has seen theemergence of newcybercriminal groups, likeCopyPaste, a newgeography of attacks bySilence group,cybercriminals shiftingtheir focus onto data thathelps to bypass antifraudsystems in their attacks,"Yuriy Namestnikov,Security Researcher atKaspersky, said in astatement

LET VOICE OF THE PEOPLE PREVAILHC UPADHYAY n HYDERABAD

Of late, lots of noises are madeby self-proclaimed leaders ofHindus as well as Muslims.Leaders like Asaduddin Owaisiand Mohan Bhagwat have theirown narratives. While the for-mer smells a rat in every deci-sion of the government, be itCAA or NRC or NPR, as aimedagainst Muslims, the latter triesto whitewash such 'communal'narrative by proclaimingfrom the rooftops that allpeople of India are Hindus.

To say the least, both theviews are 'simplistic'. Suchstatements of com-munal elements arenothing but childishmanoeuvres tryingto fool the gulliblecommon man ofwhatever religiousfaith. In short, it isnothing but vote pol-itics.

Having said that, we shouldalso not undermine the importof certain political narrativeschurned out by such leaders,particularly from the opposition

parties. Their wrath against thegovernment leadership of thepresent day could be under-stood, but we should not pardonthem when they belittle, insult,and humiliate the judiciary aswell as defence and securityforces. They must be con-demned in one voice by all peo-ple, irrespective of their caste,religion or creed.

Interestingly, the term, 'peo-ple' occurring as the third wordof the Preamble to the

Constitution, is nowheredefined. Perhaps, thefounding fathers of theConstitution did not think

it necessary to do so.Hence, theword, people,has to be con-

strued in its genericform. Thus, it is an inclu-

sive expression, encom-passing all inhabitants ofIndia.

This being the case,and we having adopted

the democratic form of gover-nance, the elected representativebody, the Parliament, is the all-powerful organisation andtherefore, whether one likes it or

not, all decisions taken byParliament have to be hon-oured with great humility andrespect. The Citizenship(Amendment) Act, 2019, havinggot the seal of approval fromParliament, has to be honoured,followed, and respected by allpeople, irrespective of their per-sonal likes and dislikes. It,indeed, leaves no scope for fur-ther discussion on the matter;leave alone the protests, silent orviolent.

In other words, protestingagainst a law adopted by follow-ing the due process of law isnothing but defying thesupremacy of Parliament that is,the people. Here comes the roleof the government. There can be

no two opinions that the govern-ment is duty-bound to protect,defend and uphold the democ-ratic fabric enshrined in theConstitution. Therefore, there isnothing wrong if the govern-ment disallows any protestsagainst the CAA and obviouslynothing wrong if it uses neces-sary force to quell the violentprotests.

Keeping aside phobias, thelarger question as to whetherIndia should be declared as "aHindu Rashtra" or not; and ifyes, how soon or later, are bet-ter left to the people of this greatnation, called 'Bharat'. The likesof Asaduddin Owaisi, RahulGandhi, Digvijay Singh,Mamata Banerjee, Sitaram

Yechuri, Mayavati or MohanBhagwat, Giriraj Kishore andPragna Thakur may try to fishin troubled waters for pettypolitical gains, but ultimately thevoice of the people and peoplealone shall prevail. At that time,none of the so-called championsof the Hindus or minorities shallhave any say. Hence, let's notlend ear to these vested interests.Explain long delay: SC

While re-iterating its earlierstand that the court shouldadopt a liberal approach whiledealing with the applications forcondonation of delay, the ApexCourt, in a recent reportablejudgment, has added a word ofcaution that in doing so longdelays should not be mechani-cally condoned without thecourt satisfying itself that therewas 'sufficient cause' for suchdelay.

Writing the judgment forthe three-judge bench, JusticeA.S Bopanna in DelhiUniversity vs. Union of India &Others said that due to longdelay in preferring appeal by theaggrieved party, certain rightsdo occur in favour of the other

party, which the courts shouldnot overlook. The court alsoclarified that the courts, whiledealing with the condonation ofdelay petitions, should not dif-ferentiate between private partyand the government.CAA divides lawyers

Close on the heels of the res-olution dated December 22adopted by the country's apexregulatory body, the BarCouncil of India; some 1,000advocates from different partsof the country have expressedtheir dissent. One wonderswhen the duly elected represen-tative body takes a stand on anissue, how some individualadvocates can dare to openlydefy the decision of such a rep-resentative body!

In fact, by openly expressingtheir disagreement for whatev-er reasons, the thousand-oddlawyers have indulged in graveindiscipline. Hope the all-pow-erful Bar Council of India (BCI)would take a serious view of thematter and initiate disciplinaryaction against these memberswithout being influenced oftheir seniority or status.

LEGALROUNDUP

The likes of Asaduddin Owaisi, RahulGandhi, Digvijay Singh, MamataBanerjee, Sitaram Yechuri, Mayavati orMohan Bhagwat, Giriraj Kishore andPragna Thakur may try to fish introubled waters for petty politicalgains, but ultimately the voice of thepeople and people alone shall prevail

VMRDA gets govt nod for multi-level car parking project

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

IIM, Visakhapatnam is hostinga three-day international con-ference on Operations andResearch and DecisionSciences (ICORDS-2019).Former Director of IITHyderabad and distinguishedalumnus of IIT Kanpur ProfUB Desai inaugurated theevent.

In his address, Prof Desaihighlighted the pervasive andprofound impact that emerg-ing technologies like ArtificialIntelligence, MachineLearning, Natural LanguageProcessing, Robotic ProcessAutomation, Internet ofThings are having on the waywe live and work; and the man-ner in which the wide canvasof Inter-disciplinary CyberPhysical Systems is transform-ing the way decisions are takenand resources are managedmore optimally. The opportu-nities for research inOperations and Data Sciencesare therefore immense," ProfDesai observed.

He praised the rapid stridesthat IIM Visakhapatnam ismaking among the comity ofsecond and new generationIIMs and the good name thatit has earned for itself withinthe short span of its cominginto being.

Director of the InstituteProf M Chandrasekharextended a very warm wel-come to all the delegates andparticipants. He shared that itis the first in the series of theprestigious conferences theinstitute has scheduled. Hethus expressed that this is justa beginning of long journey of

collaborative opportunitiesand rewarding association.Prof Chandrasekhar men-tioned the importance of data-driven and analytics-baseddecision making in the mod-ern, complex world asopposed to traditional,hypothesis-based or intuition-based decision making.

Observing that decisionmaking arises only when thereare options and alternatives;constraints and contentions tobe resolved; exceptions andexemptions are to beaddressed, he explained thatdrawing up a set of potentialalternatives, determining con-sequences arising from each ofthe alternatives; and measur-ing the sufficiency of achiev-ing the desired result and theefficiency with which the out-come is realised, form theessence of operations researchand decision sciences.

In his introductory remarks,Prof Srirangacharyulu, Deanand Conference Chair, sharedthat the event is hosting anumber of expert talks,keynote addresses, and presen-tations by eminent personali-ties, professors, professionals,practitioners and students,addressing issues related tocurrent and emerging researchtopics, leading-edge develop-ments and methodologies inthe two domains.

The conference will wit-ness over 100 presentationsand is being attended by over150 delegates from across thecountry and outside the coun-try as well. Presentations arebeing made in four parallelsessions and there are fivekeynote speeches.

ICORDS-2019

‘IIM Visakhapatnammaking rapid stridesamong NewGen IIMs'

PNS n HYDERABAD

Even as the government inGermany is busy with thedraft Bill for imposing restric-tions on the purchase of gold,the gold market witnessed abuying rush following whichthe yellow metal took a quan-tum jump and closed at USdollars 1,510.42 (per ounce) .Silver followed suit and closedat 17.75 dollars.

In the foreign exchangemarket, US Dollar appreciat-ed marginally before closing atRs.71.36, while British Poundwas exchanged for Rs.93.43.Similarly, Euro and SingaporeDollar were quoted forRs.79.82 and Rs.52.82respectively. Other lead-ing currencies com-manded the followingvalues: Omani Riyal,Rs.185.54, SwissFranc, Rs.73.25,Saudi Riyal,R s . 1 9 . 0 4 ,Kuwaiti Dinar,Rs. 235.39,Canadian Dollar, Rs.54.59,Australian Dollar, Rs. 49.88and UAE Dirham Rs. 19.45.

The global stock marketsremained upbeat. However,following the large-scaleprotests over CAA-NRC in thecountry, the Sensex and Nifty50 recorded small losses,before closing at 41,575. 14and 12,245.80 points. Brentclosed at 68. 20 dollars (perbarrel), while MCX crudeclosed at Rs. 4,416 (per barrel).MCX gold and silver werequoted at Rs.39,080 (per 10gms) and Rs.46,966 (per kg).

At home, standard gold (24carat) recorded an apprecia-tion of Rs.850 and closed atRs.39, 040 (per 10 gms).Ornamental gold too, appreci-ated proportionately and wasquoted in the range ofRs.37,070 - 37,170 (per 10gms) on the closing day. Silver(0.999) also appreciated byRs.2,000 and closed atRs.46,900 (per kg). Platinumremained firm and closed atRs.29,380 (per 10 gms) whilePalladium shed about Rs.2,000and closed at Rs. 40,968.

The fresh demand from the

domestic sector, in urban aswell as rural areas will com-mence after January 14 nextyear. Fifteen days prior to theMakar Sankranti festival areconsidered to be inauspiciousfor buying any precious goodsor starting a new business ven-ture.COMMODITIES

The sentiment in local prin-cipal commodity markets atBegum Bazar, Mir AlamMandi, Risala Abdullah,Osman gunj, Kishan gunj,Maharaj gunj, Saroor Nagar,Kukatpally, Bowenpally,

General Bazar and MondaMarket remained frommoderate to strong.

Despite the factthat last monsoon

excessive rainscaused large-

scale damageto all crops, in

p a r t i c u l a rgroundnut;the export ofgroundnut

oil to China registered three-fold increase in the currentyear. The export has crossed40,000 tons. However, thebenefit of increased earningshas not gone through to thefarmers.

Because of the massivelocust attack in the borderStates of Rajasthan andGujarat, the farmers have lostthe standing crops of rapeseed,jeera, bajra and maize. Thoughthe authorities have takenimmediate relief measures,the prices of these commodi-ties are expected to see a stiffrise in due course.

Meanwhile, onion pricescontinued to be around Rs.100(per kg). It would take abouta month for onion prices toreach normal levels.

The sentiment in commonvegetables continued to bestrong. The NECC wholesaleegg price hovered aroundRs.435 and Rs.533 (per 100).Hyderabad witnessed anappreciation of Rs.45 at Rs.455closing, whereas Muzaffarpurand Hospet recorded the high-est of Rs. 533 and Rs.435, thelowest respectively.

Standard, ornamentalgold appreciate

WEEKLY MARKET REVIEW

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Krishna District Collector MdImtiaz released a calendar anddiary of Progressive RecognisedTeachers Union (PRTU)Krishna district division at aprogramme 'Say No to Plastic'organised here on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion,he said that teachers play a keyrole in spreading the messageto Say No To Plastic CarryBags'. With the same spirit, thedistrict can be transformed asplastic-free district in the daysto come. He said that teachersare respected by everyone in

society and they should feelthe responsibility to educatepeople on ill effects to makethe district free from plastic.

He appreciated DistrictEducational Officer MVRajyalakshmi for receivingthe prestigious Indian RedCross Society award fromGovernor Biswa BushanHarichandan and Deekshaaward from Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy.International Lions Councilchairman M Upendra, PRTUdistrict president D Srinu,secretary GVL Perumallu andothers were present.

Collector releasesPRTU calendar, diary

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | DECEMBER 30, 2019 vijayawada 03

CAPSULE

CM condoles Udipipontiff's deathAMARAVATI: Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy expressedgrief over the passing away ofthe pontiff of Udipi PejawarMutt, Vishwesha Tirtha Swami.The Swami will be rememberedfor his spiritual and serviceorientation, which was dedicatedto the welfare of society, he said.

CS offers prayers at Durga templeVIJAYAWADA: Chief SecretaryNeelam Sawhney, along with herfamily, visited Sri DurgaMalleswara SwamivarlaDevastanam atop theIndrakeeladri on Sunday. TheChief Secretary offered prayersto Goddess Kanakadurga.Temple Executive Officer MVSuresh Babu welcomed the ChiefSecretary with temple protocol.Devasthanam priests gave 'VedaAashirvachanam' to her on theoccasion. Later, EO Suresh Babugave goddess portrait andprasadam to the Chief Secretary.

CP distributesartificial limbs VIJAYAWADA: PoliceCommissioner Ch DwarakaTorumala Rao on Sundaydistributed artificial limbs to fourstudents from Anantapur, Gunturand Krishna districts, who losttheir limbs in road accidents hereon Sunday. Artificial limbs weredistributed free by SudheekshanFoundation. Beneficiaries areKavya from Anantapur, studyingClass IX, who lost both her legsin a road accident. Narendra fromGuntur, studying Class X, lost hisright hand in a road accident,Manogna from Amaravati,studying Class IX, lost her left legin a road accident and P Rajufrom Tenali of Guntur district,studying degree, lost right leg inan accident and the four weregiven artificial limbs bySudheekshan Foundation.Sudheekshan Foundation founderCh Vimala said that thefoundation was established in2007 and every month theydistribute artificial limbs to peoplewho lost limbs in road accidentswith the support of NRIs.Additional DCP S Harikrishna,DCP (crime) D Koteswara Rao,Sudheekshan Foundationmembers K Rajasekhar, KRajakumari, KSS Prasad, M AppaRao and students who lost limbswere present.

The 'Azaadi' slogan, albeit in adifferent context, seems to bereverberating across the

country. Over the past four days,many rallies have been held innorthern Telangana districts too ona grand note. Almost all the rally-ists, in urban and semi urbanparts, are opposing CAA and NRC.Apart from raising slogans, the par-ticipants have exalted the main slo-gan into almost a song to attractmore and more people. Initially therally held in Nizamabad saw par-ticipation of Muslim groups and allpolitical parties, except of course,the BJP. The slogan-chantingyouths are coming out openly toecho "Azaadi -Azaadi" much likeJNU students' union leaderKanhaiah Kumar. On Saturday,there was an encore inHanamkonda-Warangal city inwhich political parties took part.

Even in this rally, the star attractionwas the slogan pertaining toAzaadi. Come what may, theAzaadi slogan has hit almost all thenooks and corners of the country,with even non-Hindi-speakingareas getting its import right.Politicos' smooth talk to mould media

"Media distorted my views","media misinterpreted my views","media highlighted only a sectionof my speech", "media fabricatedit", "it was fake news against me"are typical complaints of present-day political leaders against media.However, TPCC chief andNalgonda MP N Uttam KumarReddy never made such state-

menst. He does ask the media tohighlight issues, saying the mediahas responsibility to expose gov-ernment failures. On Friday,Uttam asked media personnel topublish an analytical piece on theindifferent attitude of the stategovernment, which gave permis-sion to RSS rally, while denyingpermission to Congress for orga-nizing Tiranga rally from GandhiBhavan to Ambedkar Statue.Media gave due publicity to hiscomments. Yet, Congress leaderswere disappointed. So were mediapersons who foresaw untowardincidents due to mounting tensionat Gandhi Bhavan. The party'sdecision to scale down the rally toSatyagraha was not expected. They

know very well about TelanganaCongress. What's on farmers' mind?

The farmers' protests inAmaravati have thrown up animportant question of theirdemand. It is not clear whether theyare demanding justice for have fore-gone their fertile lands or workingwith the altruistic objective of hav-ing the Capital right in the centre

of the State. This suspicion gains credence as

the farmers are still hanging veg-etables grown before their tentsduring their protests. Whether it isan indication of their desire to takeback possession of their lands is notclear as they have neither demand-ed return of their lands nor com-pensation in the event of shiftingof the capital to a place elsewherein the State.

While the general public inGuntur and Krishna rose in angeragainst the move to shift theCapital, what's on the farmers'minds is still a big question.

Though the State governmenthas hinted at offering 'worthwhilecompensation' in addition to the

return of their respective lands, itis surprising that the farmers arenot responding to the offer.

However, one thing is clear. Thegovernment is not in a position tochange its mind on the Capital asit will trigger another wave ofprotests. Let's wait and see what'sin store for not only Amaravatifarmers but also people in otherregions. Competition turning into rivalry

The one-sided election processof urban local bodies in the districtsis ultimately paving the way for stiffcompetition within the ruling TRSin areas like Mahabubnagar. It isleading to rivalry within variousgroups in certain constituencies

where leaders are engaged in thegame of one-upmanship. In seg-ments like Kollapur, where theMLA elected from Congress joinedthe TRS, the competition has cer-tainly become a rivalry and the fol-lowers of sitting MLAHarshawardhan Reddy and formerminister Jupalli Krishna Rao havestarted getting involved in physicalattacks and clumsy scuffles. Thecompetition would become in thedays ahead as some of the wardsidentified in the urban local bod-ies have less three thousand votes.If any leader or group head takesthe issue seriously, the party'sprospects would be dumped.

(Contributed by Kolishetty Venkateshwarlu,

P V Kondal Rao, Avinash Deepak Puli,

Seelam Arozie )

REPORTERS’

D ARY

A throwback slogan that reverberates

Crime rate dips by 6% in StatePNS n VIJAYAWADA

The crime rate in the Statehas come down by six percent while Spandana, thegrievances forum, is func-tioning very well and theDisha Act has been a histor-ical step taken by the Stategovernment.

Speaking to the media hereon Sunday, DGP GautamSawang said the Disha Actwas path-breaking whileimplementation of Zero FIRand other measures would goa long way in maintaininglaw and order.

He said that the ChiefMinister 's brainchi ldSpandana has shown effectiveresults and of the 55,121petitions filed so far withHome Department, throughSpandana, only five per centcases were pending.

He mentioned that theZero FIR registration sys-tem in every police station isbeing implemented strin-gently and effectively. Thesewould show more fruitfulresults with the speedy inves-tigation.

"'No other State policedepartment has receivedseven national awards and weare proud of our achieve-ments," he said.

"The crime rate has comedown by 6 per cent comparedto last year. Our crime rate is216 per one lakh populationas against the national aver-age of 237 per one lakh pop-ulation," he said and addedthat if the cases registeredduring elections were exclud-ed, the decreased crime ratecould be 10 per cent.

"The significant aspectthat was achieved from thepast six months was womensafety issues and initiativestaken up as per the instruc-tions of the State govern-ment," he said.

He said that including awoman police officer as apart of the Village Secretariatsystem; Village and WardSamarkshana Samithi was asignificant step. He laudedthe government for takingsuch a gender-sensitive step.

Weekly off for the police

was a significant welfare steptaken up by the government.Andhra Pradesh was the firstState to take such initiation inthe country and termed themove as historical. This con-tributes to better delivery ofthe police services, he said.

The police department hasconducted 'Operat ionDolphin Nose ' and'Operation Muskaan', whichwere remarkable achieve-ments. Operation Muskaanhas rescued 5,738 children.The State Disaster ResponseForce (SDRF) has saved 46lives in different situations.

The DGP said, "The ChiefMinister during the reviewmeeting said that even a sin-gle life matters and that

would give happiness if a lifeis saved."

He said that the profession-al efficiency and competenceof the state police departmentwas 88 per cent, the highestfor any State in the country.He mentioned that the rate ofrapes in the State was 2.09per cent against the nationalaverage of 5.2 per cent. Roadaccidents are the concernedarea and we are going to workon this by using technologyefficiently to address theissue.

"Murder and grievous hurtcases have come down butsmall rioting cases haveincreased and that was alsobecause of riots during theelections," he added.

DGP Gautam Sawang

n DGP Gautam Sawangsaid the Disha Act waspath-breaking whileimplementation ofzero FIR and othermeasures would go along way inmaintaining law andorder

n Weekly-off for the police wasa significant welfare steptaken up by the government.Andhra Pradesh was the firstState to take such initiation inthe country and termed themove as historical. Thiscontributes to better deliveryof the police services, he said

Raghavulu opposes3 capitals proposalPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Opposing the YSRCP gov-ernment's proposed threecapitals, CPM politburomember BV Raghavulu onSunday said that the CMO,Secretariat, and legislatureshould be at one place foreffective administrative andconvenience of the generalpublic.

He also said that proposedexecutive capital in Vizagwould not boost the develop-ment of north Andhra.Speaking to newsmen hereon Sunday, Raghavulu saidthat the CPM was in supportof decentralised developmentbut against the decentralisa-tion of administration. Thelocation of Secretariat andthe Assembly at one placeand the judiciary could bedecentralised, he added.

Dismissing the YSRCP'sopinion that the develop-ment of capital Amaravatiwould entail a burden on theexchequer, and require atleast Rs 1 lakh crore invest-ment, Raghavulu said that Rs5,000 crore is much enoughfor the required infrastruc-ture at Amaravati.

Coming down heavily onChief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy,Raghavulu said that Jaganfailed to oppose the attemptsto privat ise theVisakhapatnam Steel Plant(VSP) by giving away a hugechunk of land to SouthKorea's POSCO for forminga joint venture. We havebeen demanding to allot cap-tive mines and sufficientfunds to VSP, so far Jagan hasdone nothing for save theVSP," Raghavulu pointed out.

The proposed ExecutiveCapital in Vizag wouldn'tgenerate much employmentand wouldn't lead to devel-opment in the north AndhraPradesh region. If the gov-

ernment establishes manu-facturing units and IT Unitsin north Andhra, the regionwill be developed, Raghavuluadded.

Terming Jagan's three cap-itals ideas is a wrong deci-sion; the CPM leader saidthat how the Assembly andChief Minister's office will belocated in Amaravati whenthe executive capital andCM's camp office are pro-posed in Vizag, he pointedout.

The BJP government atthe Centre has been trying todivide the nation with itsPro-Hindu approach and bytrying to implement the NRCand CAA across the nation.The CPM has decided totake several agitations againstthe BJP to save the nation,Raghavulu added.

n The proposed ExecutiveCapital in Vizag wouldn'tgenerate muchemployment andwouldn't lead todevelopment in thenorth Andhra Pradeshregion, opined CPMpolitburo member BVRaghavulu.

n If the governmentestablishesmanufacturing units andIT Units in north Andhra,the region will bedeveloped, he added.

RGUKT-AP to host All IndiaInter-University Yoga MeetPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Rajiv Gandhi University ofKnowledge Technologies(RGUKT)-AP would organ-ise the All India Inter-univer-sity Yoga (Men & Women)Championship 2019-20 onGRUKT campus fromJanuary 6 to 10, said RGUKTChancellor KC Reddy onSunday.

He said that 125 universi-ties from across 23 Stateswould participate in the four-day competition which isorganised at RGUKT for thefirst time.

The chief guest of the inau-gural programme would beGovernor Biswa BushanHarichandan and the guestsof honour would be AjeyaKallam, Principal Advisor tothe Chief Minister of AndhraPradesh, Satishchandra,Special Secretar y toGovernment, Department ofHigher Education, AndhraPradesh, Shamsher SinghRawat, Principal FinanceSecretary, Government ofAndhra Pradesh.

He further stated that atotal number of 1,572 stu-dents will participate, whichinclude 650 male and 663female participants from var-ious universities besides 247officials, coaches and man-agers. He said that 35 univer-

sities from Andhra Pradesh,Telangana, Karnataka,Kerala, Tamil Nadu and 90universities from North Indiawould participate in thechampionship. He said trans-portation facility would beprovided to the participantsfrom all the nearer railwaystations and bus stations tothe campus. Cost free lodg-ing and boarding is arrangedfor all the participants andofficials.

He said that messes, alongwith food court, are arrangedon payment in view of thenumber of people fromNorth and South India, SouthIndian and North Indian.

He further said that the

valedictory function will beon January 10 presided overby Prof Hema ChandraReddy. The chief guest will beDr Adimulapu Suresh,Education Minister,Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao,Minister for Tourism, anddistinguished guests will beKotagiri Sridhar, MP Eluru,Meka Venkata Pratap AppaRao, MLA, Nuzvid.

Two teams (men &women) from each universi-ty will participate in thecompetition and first/sec-ond and third prizes will begiven to the best performersin team and individual cate-gory, said the chancellor onthe occasion.

TV anchor meetsDGP, seeks actionagainst attackersPNS n AMARAVATI

Telugu channel TV9 anchorNallamothu Deepthi, who wasattacked while covering the'Mouna Deeksha' of BJP Statepresident KannaLakshminarayana met DGPGautam Sawang, along withher colleague at his office inMangalagiri on Sunday, anddemanded that stringentaction be taken against theattackers. She submitted arepresentation to the DGP.Deepthi alleged that the pro-testers had attacked her delib-erately to take revenge on her.

It may be recalled thatDeepthi and her team went tothe Amaravati foundation atUddandarayunipalem in theCRDA Region to Kanna'sDeeksha on Friday when sud-denly a group of peopleattacked her. They behavedrudely with her.

Deepthi alleged that manypeople trolled her on the socialmedia by posting her oldvideos and sough actionagainst them as well.

Attributing certain wordsthat she had never uttered,miscreants were resorting to a

false propaganda against her,she said and alleged that theywere doing this by editing thevideos. Deepthi was chargedwith calling women protestersas paid artistes in Amaravati.This led to the protesters vent-ing their ire at journalists.

FM to head High Power PanelContinued from Page1

The government is now wait-ing for the BCG report, whichwill be submitted on January 3.

The government has issued anorder constituting the HighPower Committee. The GO saidthe High Power Committee mayseek the advice of the AdvocateGeneral in regard to furthercourse of action for compliance.

It will also take into accountthe recommendations of theBoston Consultancy Groupwhile finalising the strategy andgive its recommendations with-in three weeks, the GO said. Itmay be recalled that on the lastday of the Assembly winter ses-sion, Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy had hintedthat the State would have threecapitals corresponding toLegislative (Amaravati),Executive (Visakhapatnam) and

Judiciary (Kurnool). Close onthe heels of his announcement,the Expert Committee headed byGN Rao submitted its report tothe government.

Later, it was widely thatbelieved that Jaganmohan Reddywould announce a single capitalin Visakhapatnam withLegislative and Executive func-tions and the High Court inKurnool.

But, after the agitation for asingle capital gaining momen-tum, in the meantime,Jaganmohan Reddy Reddy in atactful move to go ahead with itsdecision to shift the capital andto mollify bruised sentiments ofthe Amaravati farmers by bidingtime has decided to constitutea High-power Committee tostudy the GN Rao Committeeand Boston Consultancy Group(BCG) reports and make recom-mendations on the issue.

Continued from Page1

"Changing the capital isnot as easy as changingcars. It is not enough toconstruct buildings at theplace of your choice," theBJP MP said.

He fumed atJaganmohan Reddy for nottelling why he had decid-ed to change the capital.Pooh-poohing the idea ofsetting up of three capitalsin the State, he wonderedwhy the GN RaoCommittee was constitut-ed. The government shouldfocus on decentralisation ofdevelopment and notdecentralisation of gover-nance, he felt and suggest-ed setting up of industries

in backward regions.Prime Minister

Narendra Modi had laidthe foundation stone forAmaravati and the Centrewould release funds for itsconstruction. Both theTDP and the YSRCP gov-ernments had failed to getfunds released from theCentre, he said and recalledthat some funds were,however, released as perthe AP Reorganisation Act.

The BJP MP said theconstruction of Amaravatiwas delayed due to casesfiled by some people in theNational Green Tribunal(NGT). An amount of Rs5,674 crore was paidtowards advance to con-tractors and several reput-

ed educational instituteswere set up in the area inthe last five years. Peoplehad donated Rs 42 crorefor construction ofAmaravati, he added.

Stating that if govern-ment offices related to theExecutive, Legislative andthe Judiciary were set up atvarious places, therewould be no use. If thecapital city was scatteredover different places itwould have an adverseimpact on the financialcondition of the State,turning it like Panamaand Venezuela. If the Stategovernment went aheadwith its whimsical plans,the BJP would not remainsilent, he warned.

Jagan can't move capital fromAmaravati: YS Chowdhary

7 Capital Region farmersheld in pre-dawn raids

Continued from Page1

Meanwhile, MangalagiriMLA Alla RamakrishnaReddy made controversialcomments stating that only10% per cent of the agitatorswere farmers and the rest ofthe protesters were brought bythe TDP from other regions.He said,"TDP president NChandrababu Naidu hasbrought people from otherdistricts to stage protests inAmaravati," he said.

The Mangalagiri MLA

said that though the TDPgovernment had promised togive developed plots to thefarmers, it had failed to doso. However, the presentYSRCP government wasready to return their lands tofarmers if they wanted tocultivate them.

It may be recalled thatPanchayat Raj MinisterPeddireddy RamachandraReddy had made similarobservations during a pressconference at Tirupatirecently.

High Power Committee willsubmit report in 21 days: Botsa

Continued from Page1

The main objective of theHigh Power Committee was toconsider geographical condi-tions and existing resources ofthe 13 districts in the State anddevelop all the districts, he said.

The recommendationswould be based on the kind ofdevelopment works that wouldbe taken up in the State consid-ering the economic conditions,resources, and necessities of theState. The drought-hitRayalaseema region, backwardregions of Coastal Andhra,East and West Godavari dis-tricts would also be devel-

oped. The government wouldgo ahead after a comprehensiveanalysis of the 13 districts of theState considering the budget,requirements, and expendi-ture of the State.

Justice Sri KrishnaCommittee, Siva RamakrishnaCommittee and GN RaoCommittee, the minister men-tioned the details of establish-ment of the capital city, decen-tralised development and thereason for the State bifurcationwere mentioned in all thosereports. He said that the G NRao Committee recommenda-tions were close to the previoustwo reports.

Violence, democracydo not go together: V-P

Continued from Page1

"As regards CAA, NRC and NPR, thepeople of the country should have anenlightened, meaningful and constructivediscussion and not jump to hasty conclu-sions," said the Vice-President, adding "oursis a mature democracy and there is no placein it for violence."

Naidu called for reforming governancesystems in tune with people's aspirations.He stressed the need for maintaining thedignity of Parliament and Legislaturesand raising the standards of the debates. Hesaid that personal attacks should not bemade, while policies could be criticized.

Stating that dissent or disagreement hasto be expressed in a constructive, democ-ratic and peaceful manner, he recalled thatMahatma Gandhi had eschewed violencein all its forms even in the face of the mostdaunting challenges. While protestingagainst the British rule, he (MahatmaGandhi) remained civil even towards hisadversary, he recalled.

It may be recalled thatDeepthi and her teamwent to the Amaravatifoundation atUddandarayunipalemin the CRDA Regionto Kanna's Deekshaon Friday whensuddenly a group ofpeople attacked her

Some of startups have already matured and areeventually growing into next level. The startups

established in 2019 have a cushion as eco-system has become matured. Now we

have people on whom we can rely on – likesomeone raised funding, digital marketingetc. It was an eventful year for Indianstartup ecosystem. Deals like Flipkart-Walmart re-instils confidence instartups that if your product is good,global giants like Walmart areinterested. This year, one bigchange has been that peoplebeing ready to work.Colleges too are nowbeginning to understand theimportance of startups. This isthe time to experiment.

—SRI CHARANLAKKARAJU

co-founder Stumagz

Industry connectsand capital inflows

have increased in thecity with big companies

coming here. There are a lot ofcompanieslooking at

Fintec andIOT space.Moreover,many bigcorporatecompaniescame

forward topartner with

startups this year. Governmenthandholding, T-Hub and other

major incubators andaccelerators are indicatorsthat Hyderabad is movingfrom being the pearl cityto startup city.Moreover, some of thestartups are paying onpar with bigcompanies, sopeople are also opento working here.

—PREM KUMARFounder- Marut Drones

Thestartup

ecosystemis slowly

maturing now asHyderabad has the

highest number ofincubators in India and

launch of T-Hub Phase-2 andT-Works next year will further

consolidate Hyderabad asa more attractive

destination. Thenumber ofstartups beingestablished hasdecreasedcompared to

previous yearsbut it its gradually

shifting towardsquality over quantity as the

hype is dying down. Increasingly, startups andinvestors are getting more realistic and betting big onbusiness models in place.

—PRAVEEN DORNA co-founder- Sociohub

You seea lot of

clarity thisyear andafter all theinitial buzzyears from2015-18, 2019has been an yearof maturity anda lot of startupsare now turninginto companies.Only those who areserious are still around;the rest have shut shop. But theecosystem is now thrivingthanks to the vision andleadership from governmentand T-Hub. A lot needs to bedone. Most startups still seeBangalore as a top destination. Weshould be able to retain the talent in Hyderabad.

—KASHYAP KOMPELLA, CEO rpa2ai

We're just starting to see companies get toSeries A stage. I think, we

should see a lot many moresignificant funding deals

struck in our ecosystem nextyear. The government,

especially the ITdepartment is very

startup-friendly. Iwould say now the

hype about startupsis settling downand people are being a bit moresensible about them. But yes, theindustry's trust in startups isdefinitely going up.

SANDEEP BOMMIREDDICo-founder Adonmo

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | DECEMBER 30, 2019 04

Go i n gby the

rapid changes the citywitnessed in 2019, entre-

preneurs of Hyderabad feelthat the startup

ecosystem is matur-ing and the city is

well on its way toacquire a serious reputa-

tion as an emerging start-up capital.

With each passing day,more and more startupsare turning into companiesand there has been someserious f low of funds.Startups in HyderabadInnovation Ecosystem alonehave raised funding of $175million in 2019.

In January, Hyderabadstartup ecosystem had

about $4 million fund-ing and in October

alone, $71 millionwas raised.

Since July, thefunding pattern

in the city haswitnessed an

upward trend. As many assix startups in the cityraised more than $10million in funding withhighest being MyGateraising $56 million.While T-Hub claimsthat Rs 600 crore wasreceived by 110 star-

tups, We-Hub

raised Rs14.4 crore in ayear, with major invest-ments in the pipeline.

In fact Hyderabad jumped115 positions andis now ranked 75thamong the cities pre-ferred for startups in2019 as per Startup Blink.

Hyderabad is clearlyhome not only to the ever-favourite biryani and pearl,but for startups also.

The capital of Telangana isnow a major startup hubwith about 3000 startups.According to DPIIT, star-tups registered with it inthe state employ 18,725people. Giving boost to itsentrepreneurs, theHyderabad-based start-up incubator T-Hubhas also announcedthe launch of itsfunding pro-gramme T-Angel,through whichit will help star-tups raise cap-

ital. The three-monthinvestment accelerationprogramme is a jointventure with theTelangana state gov-ernment and will beexecuted by T-Huband online invest-ment plat formLetsVenture.

With eachpassing day,

more startupsare turning intocompanies andthere has beensome seriousflow of funds.Startups inHyderabadInnovationEcosystemalone have

raised fundstotaling $175

million

From City of Pearls to City of

Startups

HYDERABAD JUMPED 115 POSITIONSAND IS NOW RANKED 75TH AMONGTHE CITIES PREFERRED FORSTARTUPS IN 2019 AS PER STARTUP BLINK

Hyderabad has grown fromstrength to strength to go

from a nascent startupecosystem to a developed one.This can be seen from thenumber of startups receiving VCfunding and also the number ofdelegations visiting Hyderabad.Also, this is in no small measuredue to numerous co-workingspaces, accelerators,entrepreneur programmes,startup fests. This is due to theGovernment of Telangana beinga proactive participantand an engine formany of the startupinitiatives such asTHUB, TSIC,WEHUB. KT RamaRao and JayeshRanjan are thedriving force and anamazing support foreverything related to startups.

—DEEPTHI RAVULACEO We Hub

HEAD HIGHA YEAR WHEN TELUGUS HELD THEIR The increasing intensity of the winter

reminds one that the year is coming to anend. And this time it is even more special asit is also the end of a decade. As wewelcome the 2020s, we look back at some ofthe major achievements of our Telugu stars.Read on as K Ramya Sree takes you onnostalgia overdrive

Actress KeerthySuresh bagged the

national award for herrole in Mahanati. It was thefirst time innearly threedecades that anactress fromTollywood wonsuch anhonour, the lasttime being in1990 whenVijayashanti gotit for Karthvyam. Also, KeerthySuresh became the fourth Teluguactress to bag this award in 66years.Mahanati is based on thelife of legendary actressSavitri. The film was notonly critically acclaimed,but was also acommercial successand was adjudged thebest Telugu film atthe National FilmAwards.

Keerthybecomes fourthTollywoodactress to bagNational award

PV Sindhu gets first-evergold for India in BWFWorld ChampionshipPV Sindhu clinched India’s first-ever gold in

BWF World Championship 2019 in Basel,Switzerland, beating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara.This was her biggest achievement afterbagging the silver medal in the 2016 RioOlympics. After two silvers and two bronzemedals, Sindhu finally fetched India its first-ever World Championships gold in the sport.However, she spent the rest of the yearstruggling for form.Sindhu is also the mostsuccessful women’s singlesshuttler at the Worlds,having won five medals injust six appearances. Sheis now ranked 13th in theworld and is the highest-paid woman athlete of theyear, according to Forbes.Sindhu continues to beIndia’s Olympicgold-medalhope atTokyo2020.

Prabhas becomes pan-India starPrabhas became an international icon post the success of the

‘Baahubali’ series. His true popularity came to fore with the releaseof ‘Saaho’. Releasing in a number of languages, the film became a

huge hit in Hindi too proving Prabhas’ pan-India appeal.The actor was also in the news after he entered

the elite list of Forbes Top 100 earnersin India, 2019. Prabhas is at

the 44th place and beatthe likes of Mahesh

Babu.

P opular Telugu actress Kajal Aggarwal became the firstactress from south India to get her wax statue at MadameTussauds, Singapore. In fact, she is only the third Telugustar to be cast in wax after Mahesh Babu and Prabhas.

The actress revealed that her statue will beunveiled on February 5, 2020. Taking toInstagram, she wrote, “Excited and honoured to

unveil my very own wax figure at MadameTussauds Singapore! On the 5th of February

2020, I will be @mtssingapore in theUltimate Film Star Experience to

introduce my figure, stay tuned! (Sic)”Kajal recounted her visit to MadameTussauds as a child.

Vijay only actor to enterForbes 30 under 30 list

Kajal becomes first actress from southto get Madame Tussauds wax figure

Baahubali: Only non-English film to bescreened at Royal Albert Hall in 148 yrs

T he Beginning, directed by SS Rajamouli, was screenedon October 19 at the prestigious Royal Albert

Hall in London. The entire team, including SSRajamouli, Prabhas, Rana Daggubati,Anushka Shetty, MM Keeravani andShobu Yarlagadda were present at thescreening. After the screening, theaudience gave a standing ovation tothe team.

T ollywood’s rising star Vijay Devarakonda has beenenlisted in the Forbes’ 30 under 30,

2019 list in the section of musicand entertainment. He was theonly actor to get enlisted in theForbes 30 under 30. Considereda powerhouse of talent, VijayDevarakonda created a nichefor himself by opting forperformance-orientedroles like ‘PelliChoopulu’, ‘ArjunReddy’, and‘Taxiwaala’.

Drunk drivingoffenders cough upcrores this year!The fines collected by the

Hyderabad traffic police indicatethat the motorists in the city

have scant regard for the rules. More than Rs 8.32 crore were con-

tributed by the drunk drivers as fines tothe state exchequer alone in Hyderabad.The amount is Rs 2.6 crore higher thanthat of figures recorded last year. Thepolice this year have booked 27,737 per-sons for drunk driving in theHyderabad PoliceCommissionerate andhave filed charge-sheets on 27,010offenders. These fig-ures are higher thanthat of 2018, when26,856 drunken dri-ving cases wererecorded and 26,500charge-sheets were filed.

However, Traffic copshave sent fewer people to jail forthe offense this year. As many as 5,184persons were convicted and jailed fordrunk driving in 2018. Police havejailed 4,362 for the offense. As manyas 1,103 driving licenses were sus-pended this year.

The drop in convictions is no exclusionfor other traffic violations. Violations suchas cell phone driving and minor drivinghave received a less number of convictionsthis year. Despite this, compared to the casesrecorded in 2018 , 7,332 morepeople were caught for cellphone driving and 374more people werecaught forminor dri-ving.

A less number of convictions for tr-affic violations are being attributed tothe higher fines that are now being col-lected under the amended MotorVehicles Act. "The fine amounts aregoing up and so the conviction ratesare coming down," Hyderabad PoliceCommissioner Anjani Kumar said.

The new penalties under the MVAcame into effect across the country on

September 1. The Telangana stategovernment enforced the Act in

the state only after dilutingthe steep fines proposedunder the Central Act.Under the new rules, amotorist is liable to pay Rs1,000 if he is caught drivingwithout a seat belt against

a fine of Rs 100 earlier. If amotorist is caught using a

mobile phone, while driving,the police officials will impose a

fine from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.For drunk driving, earlier the fine

was Rs 2,000. Now, it has been hikedto Rs 10,000. In another move, a dri-ver can be fined Rs 10,000 for not giv-ing way to emergency vehicles, suchas an ambulance or fire brigade.

A total of 2,377 accidents wererecorded within the HyderabadCommissionerate with 261 deaths, 32less than the previous year. These acci-

dents have resulted ininjuries to 2,526

persons, 91more than

the previ-ous year.

WHAT DRUNK DRIVER LACKS? n Alertness in perceiving adanger on the road.

n Accuracy of vision.

n Capacity to distinguishaccurately between three traf-fic light colours.

n A broad range of vision totake note of events.

n Ability to drive the vehiclesafely during night hours.

n Ability to recover from theglare effect quickly.

n Ability to perceive distance between two moving objects andtheir relative position in space.

n The capital ofTelangana is now a

major startup hubwith about 3000

startups.

n ln January, Hyderabadstartup ecosystem had

about $4 million fundingand in October alone, $71

million was raised.

n Entrepreneurs feel thatthe startup ecosystem ismaturing and the city

is well on its way toacquire a reputation

as an emergingstartup capital.

n TheInvestment

AccelerationProgramme is a

joint venturewith the state

govt and will beexecuted by T-

Hub and onlineinvestment

platformLetsVenture.

TheHyderabad

traffic policehave caught moredrunk drivers, buthave sent fewer to

jail than theprevious

year

PNS n PUDUCHERRY

In an escalation of the unabat-ed turf war between her andChief Minister VNarayanasamy, Puducherry LtGovernor Kiran Bedi onSunday accused him of cross-ing the line of decorum anddecency in his criticisms of herin the last few days and coun-selled him to take the 'digni-fied' route to air difference ofopinion.

She shot off a letter toNarayanasamy expressing heroutrage and objection to himcalling her "all kinds of deroga-tory names" and levelling"unfounded accusations" overa considerable period andespecially in the last few daysand asked him to maintain thedignity of the office he held.

Bedi asked the ChiefMinister to recall what LordBuddha's words that "whenany one abuses and the receiv-er does not accept, it remainswith the abuser."

The former IPS officer andthe Congress government inthe union territory have beenon a collision course on vari-

ous issues since her postinghere over three years ago andthe latter had even demandedher recall, accusing her of"impeding" the functioningof the elected government.

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | DECEMBER 30, 2019 nation 05SHORT READS

‘PM should intervene,find way out ofvitiating atmosphere’JAIPUR: Rajasthan ChiefMinister Ashok Gehlot onSunday said Prime MinisterNarendra Modi shouldintervene to find a way out ofthe vitiating atmosphere thathas developed in the country.He opined that the situationmay worsen in the backdrop ofprotests against the Citizenship(Amendment) Act. "I believe thegovernment has no inkling orinformation about the image ofthe country which is beingmaligned in the world. Today,53 countries have advised theircitizens that they should notvisit India," Gehlot said in atweet in Hindi. With the vitaltourism sector being a keydriver of the economy inRajasthan, Gehlot saidoccupancy in hotels hasdropped this season as manytourists have cancelled theirvisit to India.

Infant deaths in Kotahospital: Birla urgesgovt to act sensitively

Pregnant womanrefused admission ingovt health centreMUZAFFARNAGAR: A womanexperiencing labour pain wasallegedly refused admissioninto a government health centreby its staff for not giving Rs5,000 as bribe in Shamlidistrict. The family of thewoman, Bina, alleged that onSaturday, she was brought tothe health centre in Jhinjhanatown after experiencing labourpain. The staff there demandedRs 5,000 and they refused toadmit her without it, the familyalleged. The family thenbrought Bina to a hospital inShamli, they said. Thesuperintendent of thegovernment health centre,Shashikant said that strictaction would be taken againstthose responsible after aninqury into the matter.

JAIPUR: Lok Sabha SpeakerOm Birla on Sunday expressedconcern over the death ofinfants at a governmenthospital in Rajasthan's Kotadistrict and urged the stategovernment to act withsensitivity. Birla, representingthe Kota parliamentaryconstituency, visited JK LoneMaternal and Child Hospital totake stock of the situationwhere 77 infants havereportedly died in the last 24days. He also directed theofficials to make adequatearrangement to ensure suchincidents do not occur infuture. "The untimely death of77 infants in 24 days in thelargest hospital in Kota-Bundiparliamentary constituency is amatter of serious concern. Thestate government should actwith sensitivity so that suchincidents do not occur infuture," Birla tweeted in Hindi."The untimely death of anyinfant due to lack of medicalequipment and resources isworrying.

Ashok Gehlot

Bedi asked theChief Minister torecall what LordBuddha's words that‘when any oneabuses and thereceiver does notaccept, it remainswith the abuser’

PNS n NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR

Marching slowly along with hisbuddy on a thick sheet of snowin North Kashmir, 'Buzo', adouble-coat German Shepherd,gets a hero's welcome after suc-cessfully having pushed backinfiltrators from PoK recently.

'Buzo', a silent sentinel of theArmy, is among the more than150 expert dogs with the mili-tary that maintain a tight vigilalong LoC as well as in the hin-terland. The dogs are specialisedin three wings — Assault (whoattack the enemy), Tracker (whotrack movements of the enemy)and Explosive Detection Dogs(who sniff explosives).

The canines posted along theLoC in the heights of NorthKashmir are generally 'double-coat German Shepherds' whichare best suited for the climate,while Labradors are used in thehinterland.

UK-based author MalcolmBeverley Willis, who died in

2011, had written in his book'The German Shepherd Dog: AGenetic History' that doublecoats can serve a dual functionduring different times of theyear. "During winter, they cankeep the dogs naturally pro-duced heat close to the skin. Insummer, they can reflect thesun's light, preventing the dogfrom getting too hot," Dr Willswrote in his book. The handlersof the dogs feel that the canines

have a legendary status when itcomes to intelligence andcourage. They help detect anyinfiltration by terrorists fromacross the border, smuggling ofdrugs and forewarn about thepossibility of avalanches, theysay. Recently Lt Gen Kanwal JeetSingh Dhillon, keeping withIndian Army's tradition of rec-iprocating salutes of juniors,was seen saluting a canine sol-dier outside Amarnath cave

shrine in South Kashmir. Lt GenDhillon, who heads the strate-gic Kashmir-based XV corps,makes sure to meet his caninesoldiers during his visit to theforward posts in the valley."Post dog is also very much partof the family and part of all cel-ebrations," Gen Dhillon said.

"Man's most loyal friend isalways there with the soldiersduring rain, snow or any weath-er. Post dogs are the mostimportant members of the fam-ily, and they go for all operationswith the troops like patrollingand ambush and are especiallythere during emergencies likeavalanche rescue etc. "So don'tmiss them out when there is a

ceremony like 'Barakhana'," saysLt Gen Dhillon with a smile.

Other Army officials recalledthe work of 'Roma', a trackerdog, who alerted her compan-ions and got a temporary campevacuated earlier this year. Anavalanche damaged the fieldwithin a few hours.

Earlier this year, 'Meena', alabrador, had alerted the troopsabout a possible ImprovisedExplosive Device, planted on thenational highway. The warningfrom specialised 'explosivedetection' dog helped defuse 25kilograms of IED planted on thehighway to target an Armypatrol, preventing a Pulawama-like situation.

Canine brave hearts on national duty‘BUZO', ‘ROMA', ‘DEVIL'

PNS n GUWAHATI

Intensifying its agitationagainst the amendedCitizenship Act, the All AssamStudents' Union (AASU) onSunday said a "massive protest"will be organised if PrimeMinister Narendra Modicomes to inaugurate the 'KheloIndia' games on January 10 inthe state capital.

Addressing a press confer-ence, AASU leadership said theorganisation is keeping a "closewatch" on the forthcomingT20 match between India andSri Lanka on January 5 inGuwahati and the 'Khelo India'games scheduled from January10 to 22, 2020.

"After the Citizenship(Amendment) Act was passed,the prime minister is likely tovisit Assam for the first time.If he visits for the 'Khelo India',there will be a massive protest,"AASU president DipankaKumar Nath said.

He, however, did not elab-orate and said details will beshared in coming days aftergetting confirmation of Modi'svisit to the state capital.

"Modi and the BJP areplanning to destroy Assamand we will not sit idle. Thestruggle against the CAA willbe a long one. We are fightinga legal battle in the SupremeCourt and we have full faith init. Democratic protests will goon simultaneously," Nath said.

Demanding immediaterepeal of the contentiousCitizenship Act, AASU chiefadviser Samujjal KumarBhattacharya said the organi-

sation will observe all theactions of the government todeviate peoples' attention fromthe movement.

"There are two games hap-pening in Guwahati in thecoming days. The first one isthe cricket match on January 5and then 'Khelo India'. We arekeeping a close watch on both,"he added.

When asked repeatedlywhat he meant by "closewatch", Bhattacharya said, "We

will inform in due course oftime".

The student leader alsoasked Assam Chief MinisterSarbananda Sonowal to dis-close the source of his state-ment that only a "negligible"number of illegal HinduBangladeshis will be benefittedby the CAA in the state.

On December 14, Sonowalhad said that people benefittingby the amended CitizenshipAct will be "very negligible" innumber and the exact numberof people will be disclosed at anappropriate time.

AASU general secretaryLurinjyoti Gogoi questionedAssam Finance ministerHimanta Biswa Sarma forquoting different figures ofillegal Hindu Bangladeshisresiding in the state from theNational Register of Citizens

(NRC). "The government isgiving misleading figures likefour lakh, five lakh and 10 lakh.They are saying that they gotthis number from the NRC," hesaid. Demanding a probe intothe matter, Nath said, theSupreme Court had clearlybarred the NRC Authorityfrom sharing any data and ifthe state government is actual-ly quoting the figures from theNRC, then some officials "mustbe leaking data".

Claiming that a maximum of5.42 lakh people in the statewill benefit from the amendedCitizenship Act, Sarma hadsaid on December 16 that thefigure was arrived at afterassessing the number of per-sons rejected from the NRC,which excluded over 19 lakhpeople in its final list publishedon August 31.

AASU to organise ‘massive protest’ if Modi comes to inaugurate games

There are two games happening inGuwahati in the coming days. The firstone is the cricket match on January 5and then ‘Khelo India'. We are keeping aclose watch on both

The canines posted along the LoC in theheights of North Kashmir are generally‘double-coat German Shepherds' whichare best suited for the climate, whileLabradors are used in the hinterland

CM Narayanasamycrossing line ofdecorum: Kiran Bedi

V Narayanasamy

PNS n NEW DELHI

Dadasaheb Phalke Awardrecipient, megastar AmitabhBachchan on Sunday said he islooking forward to doing morework in the future. The 77-year-old actor, who was bestowedwith the honour by PresidentRam Nath Kovind here atRashtrapati Bhawan, quippedthat initially when he wasannounced as 2018's honoureehe was doubtful if it was an"indication" for him to sit athome. "When this award wasannounced, a doubt arose in mymind: if this is an indication forme to sit at home and relax afterworking for so many years?

"There is some more work Ihave to finish and certain pos-sibilities are coming up where

I may get a chance to do somework. I just wanted some clar-ification on this," Bachchansaid on a lighter note.

The Hindi cinema veteranalso thanked the government,Information & Broadcastingministry and the jury membersof the National Film Awards fornaming him the DadasahebPhalke Award recipient.

"God has been kind, therehave been blessings of my par-ents, the support of the film-makers, producers, co-actorsfrom the industry, but I'm mostindebted to the love and con-stant encouragement by theIndian audience. That's thereason I'm standing here. Iaccept this award with utmosthumility and gratitude," headded.

There's more work Ihave to finish: BIG B

PM congratulates Sorenon being sworn inPNS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modion Sunday congratulatedHemant Soren on being swornin as the chief minister ofJharkhand. He assured all pos-sible support from the Centrefor the state's growth."Congratulations to@HemantSorenJMM Ji on tak-ing oath as Jharkhand CM. I

assure all possible support fromthe Centre for Jharkhand'sgrowth," the PM wrote onTwitter. The 44-year-old triballeader took oath as the 11thchief minister of Jharkhand onSunday. In the just-conductedassembly elections, the JMM-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD) alliance triumphed overthe BJP, winning 47 seats in the81-member House.

PNS n LUCKNOW

Attacking Congress generalsecretary Priyanka GandhiVadra, Uttar Pradesh DeputyChief Minister Keshav PrasadMaurya said that 'nautanki'(theatrics) will not fetch votesfor the Congress and what's leftof the party will also be fin-ished.

In a Hindi tweet late onSaturday night, Maurya saidthat it seemed by PriyankaGandhi's behaviour that theparty has become a 'dangakarao party' and it cannot tol-erate the peaceful atmosphereand development in UttarPradesh.

He said the state was a sym-bol of Hindu-Muslim unityand added that the Congress

and the Samajwadi Party weregetting disturbed, seeing theirpolitical future in dark."Congress leader PriyankaGandhi does not want the wel-fare of the people of Lucknow.'Nautanki' (dramatics) will not

fetch votes for the Congress,and what's remaining of theparty will also be finished.

"Everyone in UP knows thatthe Congress only has memberswho are interested in gettingtheir photos clicked. By mis-leading the country on theissue of CAA, the Congress hasbecome a villian in the eyes of

the public" Maurya said. Thedeputy chief minister's remarkscame a day after a high-voltagedrama unfolded in Lucknow onSaturday evening as PriyankaGandhi alleged she was man-handled by police personnelwho grabbed her by the throatand pushed her when sheresisted their attempts to stopher from visiting the residenceof retired IPS officer SRDarapuri, arrested in connec-tion with the recent anti-CAAprotests. "They do not have theright to stop me. If they wantto arrest me, they should do so,"Priyanka told reporters aftermeeting Darapuri at hisIndiranagar's sector 18 resi-dence. She accused the BJPgovernment of acting in a cow-ardly manner.

‘Nautanki will not fetch votes for Cong'

Keshav Prasad Maurya

In a Hindi tweet late onSaturday night, Mauryasaid that it seemed byPriyanka Gandhi'sbehaviour that the partyhas become a 'dangakarao party' and itcannot tolerate thepeaceful atmosphereand development in UP

PNS n NEW DELHI

BJP working president J PNadda said on Sunday thatopposition parties, which areprotesting against the amendedcitizenship law, are "anti-Dalits"as 70-80 per cent of the peopleto be benefited from the legis-lation are from the communi-ty. The Dalit leaders who areopposing the law should beexposed, he said, asserting thatPrime Minister Narendra Modiis the "biggest protector" of thecommunity.

Addressing a programmeorganised by a Dalit group,Nadda accused the Congress ofspearheading the campaign to"mislead" minorities over theCitizenship Amendment Act(CAA) and stressed that thenew law is all about giving cit-izenship to minorities fromthree neighbouring countriesand not about taking away any-one's citizenship.

With most opposition parties

opposing the CAA for incorpo-rating religion as a criterion forgranting citizenship to peoplewho have fled Pakistan,Afghanistan and Bangladesh,Nadda said the amended lawhas done "justice" to the peoplewho were exploited anddeprived of their rights in thesecountries. It has acted as abalm on festering wounds left

behind by the Congress, he said.Naming many castes to

which the expected beneficiariesof the amended law belong, heclaimed 70 to 80 per cent ofthem are Dalits. "Those who areopposing it are anti-Dalits. Weshould understand," the BJPleader said and asked people toreach out to the members of thecommunity over the issue.

Thousands paylast respects to VishweshaTheerthaPNS n BENGALURU

Union Finance MinisterNirmala Sithraman joined asea of mourners at theNational College groundshere in paying their lastrespects to Pejawar Mathhead Vishwesha TheerthaSwamiji, who passed away onSunday.

The Finance Minister is aRajya Sabha member fromKarnataka.

Karnataka Chief MinisterB S Yediyurappa, formerChief minister Siddaramaiah,deputy chief minister GovindKarjol and Karnataka rev-enue minister R Ashoka alsopaid their homage.

The body of the 88-year-old seer, who passed away atUdupi earlier in the day, wasflown to Bengaluru in a spe-cial Indian Air Force heli-copter.

ASHA saysforce used onIHC members

Arif Mohammed Khan

PNS n ALIGARH

A day after Kerala GovernorArif Mohammed Khan facedunprecedented protests fromsome delegates during hisspeech at the Indian HistoryCongress, members ofAligarh Society of Historyand Archaeology (ASHA) onSunday alleged use of forceon IHC members and con-demned it.

The incident happened atKannur University when theKerala governor was makinghis opening address duringthe inauguration of the 80thSession of the Indian HistoryCongress. Some delegatesprotested after Khan spokeon the anti-CAA agitation invarious parts of the country.

"You have every right toprotest. But you cannot shoutme down, Khan said repeat-edly to the delegates protest-ing inside the auditorium.

"When you shut the doorfor debate and discussion,you promote violence," hestressed. Some delegates,however, shouted "KeralaGovernor, Shame Shame".Some students from univer-sities outside the state wereseen raising slogans and wereremoved by police. A womandelegate, who was taken awayin a police jeep, alleged thepersonnel were pushingthem.

PNS n THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

A meeting of various politicalparties and socio-religious out-fits, convened by Kerala ChiefMinister Pinarayi VIjayan here,on Sunday decided to holdjoint protests against the con-troversial CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA).

The over three-hour-longmeeting, attended by MLAs,MPS, major Front leaders andrepresentatives of various out-fits, entrusted the ChiefMinister and the oppositionleader in the state assembly,Ramesh Chennithala, to holddiscussions and decide uponfurther course of action in thisregard. Among the recom-mendations that emerged atthe meeting were that the gov-ernment should move thecourt and convene a specialassembly session, Vijayan said.

"This matter is under thegovernment's consideration",Chief Minister told the meet-

ing. To protect theConstitution and secularism,there is a need to put up a unit-ed fight at this juncture, arelease quoting him said.

"While taking out protestsjointly, we will get strengthmore than we can imagine.

The country itself will acceptit as a model", he said, addingthat the action to divide thepeople on religious lines willnot be accepted in kerala.

No rule was above theConstitution, he said.

Joint protests to be held in Kerala against CAA

AMU students tocontinue peacefulanti-CAA agitationALIGARH (UP): Students of theAligarh Muslim University (AMU)on Sunday said that they wouldcontinue holding peaceful anti-CAA agitation at the campus.This was decided at a meeting ofthe general body of the studentson Saturday evening and a"coordination committee" wasformed to decide the futurecourse of the ongoing stiragainst the CitizenshipAmendment Act. In a statement,a coordination committeespokesperson said that fromMonday students would hold adharna near Bab-e-Syed gateeveryday between 10 am and 4pm. The AMU was one of thesites of protests against theamended citizenship law andalleged police action on studentsof Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia.

Those opposing CAA are ‘anti-Dalits':JP Nadda

As another year draws to aclose, it is pertinent to rumi-nate Janus-like, once again,over past and future genderparity trends both in India

and abroad. And the picture is not a pleas-ant one. In fact, the year is ending on agrim note for women all over the world,with the Global Gender Gap Report 2020predicting that as things stand current-ly, overall, gender parity will not beattained for another 99.5 years. Thereport, which is being prepared by theWorld Economic Forum (WEF) since thelast 14 years, examines gender parity in153 nations on the basis of four dimen-sions: Economic participation and oppor-tunity, educational attainment, health andsurvival and political empowerment.

Despite its gloomy forecast, thisyear’s report offers a mixed bag. Whileflagging greater political participation ofwomen across countries, it also assertsthat gender parity has, in fact, beenachieved in 40 of the 153 countries it sur-veyed. And the best performers, as usual,are the Scandinavian countries, withIceland, Finland, Norway and Swedenleading the pack. Nicaragua, NewZealand, Ireland, Spain, Rwanda andGermany followed close behind to line upthe top 10. As many as 101 countries suc-ceeded in improving their scores over the2019 rankings, even as nations likeAlbania, Ethiopia, Mali and Mexico roseabove their economic challenges to grantconsistently greater economic empower-ment to their women.

But where does India figure in thiscount? In the bottom 50, coming in atrank 108 out of 153. This poor showingby an ostensibly rapidly growing econo-my is largely the result of a gender pay gapemerging from Indian women’s decisionto stay out of the workforce or to drop outof it due to various factors. Pointing outthat India ranked lower on all the foursegments being assessed, the WEF high-lighted the need for India to “makeimprovements across the board — fromwomen’s participation to getting morewomen into senior and professionalroles.” The report goes on to say that theeconomic gender gap runs particularlydeep in India and has gotten significant-ly wider since 2006, with the country alsobeing the only one among the 153 coun-tries studied where the economic gendergap is larger than the political gender gap.

This curious decline in women’s eco-nomic participation despite a rise in theireducation levels has also been document-ed by the India Human DevelopmentSurvey (IHDS), a nationally representativemulti-topic panel survey of 41,554 house-holds, conducted in two waves in 2004-05and 2011-12 by the National Council ofApplied Economic Research (NCAER) incollaboration with the University of

Maryland. The IHDS not onlycovered a wide range of topicsconcerning health, education,employment, economic status,marriage and fertility but alsocanvassed an exclusive moduleadministered to 33,510 ever-married women aged 15-49years during the survey.According to IHDS data, manynations have experienced a U-shaped relationship betweeneconomic development, growthand women’s workforce partic-ipation. However, in India,unlike other South Asian coun-tries, women have failed to riseabove the bottom of the U-curve for several decades, irre-spective of consistent econom-ic growth, perhaps because thecountry’s formal economy hasgrown without offering anyspecific or substantial opportu-nities to women through fem-inisation of the labour force.

According to IHDS,women’s Labour ForceParticipation Rate (LFPR) fellalarmingly from 31.12 per centin 2005 to 24.77 per cent in2012. The IHDS findings havealso been endorsed by the 68thRound of the National SampleSurvey Organisation (2011-12), which, in turn, records acorresponding fall in the femaleLFPR, from 28.7per cent to22.5 per cent since the previous

NSSO survey. Concomitantly,the WEF report also loweredIndia’s gender ranking for eco-nomic opportunities from 139in 2017 to 142 in 2018.

Another observationpeculiar to India is the para-dox of a decreasing Child SexRatio (CSR) or the ratio ofgirls to boys, which in 2016was reportedly at the lowestlevel since 1951, notwithstand-ing progressively higher edu-cational attainment amonggirls. Thus, even though moreparents across States and com-munities have started sendingtheir daughters to school andcollege, they still express apreference for sons for a vari-ety of reasons, ranging fromthe prevalence of dowry, theburden of ensuring safety ofgirls and the support provid-ed by sons in old age. As CarolVlassof, Professor at theUniversity of Ottawa and long-time researcher on genderissues in India, avers, “The biasagainst daughters can endonly if women’s education isaccompanied by social andeconomic empowerment.”

Even worse is India’s gen-der-based performance in thedomain of health and survival.The WEF report ranks thecountry third lowest for thisparameter, just above

Armenia and China, cate-gorising it as the “leastimproved country” on thissub-index over the pastdecade. This result comes asno surprise, considering thefact that by and large, Indianwomen have little autonomyin decision-making even inmatters of personal health.

Here, too, the IHDS report-ed in 2005, which had surveyedover 74 per cent of the women,stated that they needed permis-sion just to visit a health cen-tre, let alone exercise controlover their bodies and health-related issues. And this figurehad gone up to 80 per centwhen IHDS revisited its sam-ple households in 2012.

Interestingly, among thewomen reporting the lack ofagency in health matters, 80per cent affirmed that theyhad to seek permission fromtheir husbands, 79.89 per centfrom a senior family memberand even more significantly,79.94 per cent revealed thatthey had to consult a seniorfemale family member forsuch permission. The implica-tion inherent in this finding —that women in dominant fam-ily roles tend to exercise strin-gent control over their lessassertive female counterpartsin the family — also has seri-

ous implications for femalesorority and mutual support.

It is obvious that withoutpolicy and legislative changesand in view of persistent refusalto alter conventional mindsetsthat perpetually relegatewomen to household and careduties, India’s female popula-tion is unlikely to emerge fromthe morass of poor economicperformance, coupled with lowhealth outcomes and unequalaccess to opportunities.

Coming back to the 2020Gender Gap report, Indiawould do well to heed theadvice of the WEF Founderand Executive Chairman, KlausSchwab that “only countriesthat are able to harness all theiravailable talent, (both maleand female), will succeed in thefourth Industrial Revolution.Proactive measures that sup-port gender parity and socialinclusion and address histori-cal imbalances are, therefore,essential for the health of theglobal economy as well as forthe good of society as a whole.”Is India listening? Or does itwant to retain its dismal posi-tion on the Gender Index nextyear, too?

(The writer is ConsultantEditor at the National Councilof Applied Economic Research.Views expressed are personal)

The Central Board of School Education’s(CBSE) latest directive to schools is anintriguing one. It has asked schools to

become anger-free zones. To this end, edu-cators and school administrators have beenasked to curb displays of anger inside schoolpremises. The aim, board officials say, is toeliminate emotions such as “disrespect”,“fear”, “hurt” and “humiliation”, which arethe by-products of anger, among students.Maybe someone at the CBSE is a Star Warsfan and took the words of the Jedi sage Yoda,

who in a movie says, “Fear is the path to the dark. Fear leads to anger. Angerleads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” As such, the CBSE’s move is a wel-come for schools but it would be prudent to remember that one cannot cur-tail anger from a child’s life completely. There will still be anger inside manyhomes. Other sources of anger, some coming from the competitive spirit onthe playground, will continue to linger on. And tackling anger is not just some-thing that should be done inside the school premises but everywhere.

As such, this is a good initiative. A cursory glance on social media willshow that there is a lot of pent-up rage among India’s youth. A lot of thishas come about, thanks to a culture of hate that modern society has bred.Tackling this problem is an urgent need but schools should also invest inemotional counselling of children to tackle these problems. They can alsopossibly look at creating spaces and activities where children and even admin-istrators can channelise their anger towards more productive causes suchas sports or even video games. Anger is not just a problem among chil-dren but it is there among teachers and the communities surrounding schools.Also, in the culture of schools, which infects children. The CBSE must notforget that the primary purpose of schools is to educate children and edu-cate them well. Anger management will make for a more rounded educa-tion. At the end of the day, schools and administrators will be judged byresults, not necessarily only academic.

Films have been thebard of our times,recording our nation’s

story, sweeping the arc offantastic idealism to nudg-

ing realism, customising offerings to the many genres in between. But foryears, the mainstream genre of the entertainment media in this country hasbeen about wish fulfilment and the heroism to redefine the state of the nation,the common man losing himself in the maze of the establishment. In thatsense, 2019 will be a milestone year when man became superman. Whenthe star was deconstructed and shorn of mystery, and judged purely on theworth of talent. The successful run of Ayushmann Khurrana showed howa regular Indian man, with no remarkable looks or capability, could hold hisown and seek his own happiness on his terms no matter what the societalgaze. The common man shed his inhibitions and stood up to be counted,his various avatars touching the chord of the masses like never before andgiving them reason to hope simply because there was no dream. But therewas a reality that could be crafted for one’s own ambitions. Be it as the crookedschemer in Andhadhun or the jobless young man who turned phone sex oper-ator, a much derided profession but one which gave him dignity of suste-nance, Khurrana helped us readjust to a new world. A little balding didn’tmatter, nor a little impotence. Even enough to take on a system where hon-esty is seen as casualty (Article 15). Frailty doesn’t need to depend then onborrowed security but has learnt to live with it, even overcome it. Films havealso been about the reclamation of identities, be it of the minorities or women.Murad of Gully Boy is not rebellious or nihilistic or ghettoised, but in a pre-cursor to tricolour-wielding Muslim protesters in the country, reclaims hisspace legitimately through heartfelt protest poetry about a classist social order.And he doesn’t want to forget where he comes from. In the same vein, twowomen battle stigmas of all kinds by becoming champion shooters in SaandKi Aankh. Consider the women of Mission Mangal, based on India’s Marsodyssey, who lent an air of everydayness to space age dreams, making themgettable. Both seize destiny with their hands rather than reconciling them-selves. Perhaps the macho status quo of Kabir Singh reasserted itself withgreater vigour faced with such counter currents, just like the toxic masculin-ity that refuses to give up, so used it is to its privileged existence. The sub-servience here is commanded through fear.

The politics of society and power games played out in equal measure.The majoritarian discourse saw pop nationalism peddled through Uri: TheSurgical Strike, Kesari and even Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. The pro-paganda of anti-Congressism was manifested through the The AccidentalPrime Minister or The Tashkent Files. Propaganda has always been couchedin films as a tacit acknowledgment of the establishment of the day. The par-allel film movement once grew out of this subversion of free expressionwith politically correct messaging. And while the lines were blurring for thesake of cinema as art for art’s sake, propagandist cinema is returning withbrute force, even advertising the Government’s schemes. Whether this coop-tion is a desperate bid to rein in a “liberal, intellectual, free-thinking” frater-nity, many of whom have just about begun to make their political prefer-ences known and are standing up for their beliefs, is not too clear yet. Butfor the first time, the politics of polarisation is trying to make its way intothe industry with a steroid-spree on historicals, attempting a restorative les-son on Hindu warriors. Had these been done dispassionately, nobody wouldhave a problem with it but when it is agenda-driven and confines itself todenouncing Mughal history, then it is not art.

If Bollywood has become a soft diplomacy tool, it is because of its all-pervasive appeal and inclusive mantras. And it has the money power to decidewhere it wants to go, use its power for firing hope and idealism as it didbefore or proclaim its cosiness with powers that be through groupfies, cour-tesy calls and brand ambassadorships. Artistes should not genuflect beforeauthority. And in an India which needs sanity, it is time its popular iconsstop hyperventilating on their loved-up private lives and speak a little forthe sake of their many fans. The total dismissal of dissent has meant thatit has shifted wholeheartedly to the flat digital plane, where the fears of adystopia are real in series like Leila and Ghoul. Or where humour has mutat-ed to trenchant satire and comics. But the digital explosion is good news,where content is finding newer streams of expression. Except that it is stilla boutique enterprise, the kind that creative freedom has become.

Tribute to Vajpayee

Sir — Kudos to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and hisGovernment for dedicating twopublic welfare and utility schemesto Atal Bihari Vajpayee on hisbirth anniversary. The projects —one about groundwater manage-ment and the other on easingtransportation, enhancingtourism and national security —are milestones in our nation’sprogress. The Atal Bhujal Yojanawill help in supplying water toevery household. The PrimeMinister also named the Rohtangpassageway as the Atal Tunnel.The decision to construct a strate-gic tunnel below the Rohtang Passwas taken in June 2000 whenVajpayee was the Prime Minister.

M PradyuKannur

Taking for granted

Sir — The Citizenship AmendmentAct (CAA) holds the mirror totoday’s India. The Act goes againstthe principle of “equality” asaffirmed in the Constitution.Phrases such as “reasonable” and“intelligible differentia” cannot

rationalise a blatantly discriminato-ry law that seeks to shake the foun-dation of the country. People of allcastes and communities have livedhere for generations here. Why areour leaders trying to divide India on

the basis of religion? The BJP is try-ing to divide the country on com-munal grounds, causing confu-sion in the minds of people.

Jubel D’CruzMumbai

Politicising matters

Sir — This refers to the unneces-sary criticism by Opposition par-ties on Army Chief General Bipin

Rawat’s statement, wherein hequestioned the violence in univer-sity campuses during protests.There is no politics in his state-ment, which is based on practicalaspects. At times, the Army has tobe called to control escalated sit-uations. The Army Chief, like allother citizens, is pained due tolarge-scale damage incurred dur-ing incidents of violence.

SC AgrawalDelhi

Declining fortunes

Sir — The BJP’s loss in the just-concluded Assembly electionsin Jharkhand indicates that theModi wave is limited to theGeneral Election. When it comesto state affairs, the common manprefers bread and butter issuesover others like the abrogation ofArticle 370 and the Ram temple.The saffron party must not takeits thumping mandate in theLok Sabha elections for granted.Rather, it must adopt a federalapproach to social development.

SrishtiVia email

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

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op nionVIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | DECEMBER 30, 2019

06

In pursuit of gender equality

ANUPMA MEHTA

Without policy and legislative changes and the refusal to alter conventional mindsets, India’sfemale population is unlikely to emerge from the morass of poor economic performance

Now, the basic sentiment is to save the Constitutionof this country…To dothis, there is a great needfor us to connect with the youth.

Rajasthan DY CM—Sachin Pilot

Work-wise this year has beengood. 2020 looks very excit-ing, starting with Chhalaangwith Hansal (Mehta) sir.Can’t wait for everyone towatch these exciting films.

Actor—Rajkummar Rao

If she (Nikhat Zareen) wantsothers to respect her, then sheshould first respect others. Idon't like people with suchnature. Just prove your pointinside the ring, not outside.

Legendary boxer—MC Mary Kom

S O U N D B I T E

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

A missed opportunity for change

This refers to the article, “Halted at Madrid” (December28) by Hiranmay Karlekar. In 2015, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi had set an ambitious target for India by

committing to reduce per capita emissions, incorporate a larg-er share of renewable energy in power basket and increaseforest cover. He called upon the developed countries to pro-vide access to finance and technology to enable emergingeconomies reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The fol-lowing year, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Changeacknowledged differentiated responsibility for developingnations, which led to the signing of the Paris Climate ChangeAgreement. In an unfortunate turn of events in 2017, USPresident Donald Trump pulled out of it, taking a myopic posi-tion by stoking unfounded fears about the US economy los-ing “6.5 million industrial sector jobs, including 3.1 millionmanufacturing sector jobs.” He, thus, not only refused to hon-our the “developed” world’s obligations on climate changebut also put the “developing” world in a double jeopardy: Ofhaving to emit large volumes of GHG to achieve growth, whilepreparing to adapt to the destructive effects of adverse weath-er conditions such as droughts and floods.

Despite the IPCC warning of near-certain catastrophic con-sequences of inaction and the UN Environment Programme'sanalysis on the gap between current GHG emissions releasedearlier this year, the COP25 meeting failed miserably in ener-

gising international policies and establishing linkage betweenexternal finance and climate action. Instead, it degenerated intoan unproductive wrangle over establishing a market systemto trade in carbon credits earned through reductions in emis-sions, with some nations eager to cash in on poorly auditedemissions savings from the Clean Development Mechanismof the Kyoto Protocol that preceded the Paris pact. That the“developed” world wasted yet another opportunity to answerthe questions that have been raised over the UNFCCC’s process-es and chose to show its back to what is arguably the mostimportant issue facing humanity is condemnable.

Shreyans JainDelhi

Send yyour ffeedback tto:[email protected]

Deal with anger Today, there are such powersin the Government with whomwe had a historical clash. Weare fighting an ideologyagainst which we fought dur-ing the freedom struggle.

Congress leader—Priyanka Gandhi

2019 was about the heroism of the regular Indian, whodoesn’t want to escape reality but has come to terms with it

CBSE wants schools to introduce anger-free zones. This iswelcome but education should be a priority

Man vs Superman

Blueprint for national security

LEADERS EMERGE FROM CROWDS BUT THEY ARENOT THOSE WHO LEAD PEOPLE IN

INAPPROPRIATE DIRECTIONS.—ARMY CHIEF

GENERAL BIPIN RAWAT

IT’S NOT THE BUSINESS OF THE ARMY TO TELLPOLITICIANS WHAT WE SHOULD DO, JUST AS IT’S NOTOUR BUSINESS TO TELL YOU HOW TO FIGHT A WAR.—CONGRESS LEADERP CHIDAMBARAM

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

From election to election, year to year, weIndians have got used to living withhopes for the better. Every new yearbegins with lot of expectations but usu-ally ends in dismay. However, of late,

there has been a change in this trend. We have aGovernment in place, which not only believes inflagging issues of national importance but alsowalks the talk by attempting a closure of issues,no matter how controversial. It doesn’t want to“sleep over the problem.” Another new year is onthe horizon and people expect changes that wouldnot only make their lives better but take our nationto greater heights so that it can occupy its justplace among the comity of nations. A secure India,both at the borders and in the hinterland, is thedesire of many Indians because only a safe andsecure nation can concentrate on developmentthat is needed to make a quality difference.

India has embarked on the path of becominga superpower. This is why it needs to tread the pathof strategic alliances carefully, keeping in mind thenation’s interests. We have succeeded in unifyingthe world to fight the menace of global terrorismbut are yet to see a world that is free of it. To mymind, the fight against terrorism must continuein 2020, both at home and abroad. For us to betaken seriously worldwide, we need to establishIndia as a military power from a military force.We need to prepare ourselves to meet the twinthreats emancipating from China and Pakistan,through capability and capacity-building. Terrorthreat in our immediate neighbourhood as alsoback home will continue to be our main focusareas in the immediate future.

In order to negate Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail,there is a need to regain the conventional edge overPakistan’s armed forces through modernisation ofour own forces. Development versus security is adilemma faced by every developing nation but theones, which have not compromised on security,have emerged stronger in the given time space.The success story of modernisation of the armedforces of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) andits unparalleled economic growth is a classic exam-ple. We need to spend at least 2.5 to 3 per cent ofour GDP consecutively for a decade to moderniseour armed forces.

The above is mandatory to transform Indiafrom a military force to a military power.Without a strong military, no nation can claimto be a formidable power. The existing deficien-cies and future requirements to cater to newerconventional and non-conventional threats needto be beefed up. Procurement procedures needto be made efficient and accountable. We alsohave to be prepared to meet the challenges fromthe neighbourhood. Any instability in the neigh-bourhood will effect India as well. We need todevelop capability for regional intervention aswell as for regional and maritime projection.India, being an emerging power, needs to caterto multiple contingencies and, hence, have mul-tiple options. Adequate deterrence capabilitiesacross all spectrums — from sub-conventionalto nuclear — will make us a perfect militarypower.

Pakistan, with its failing economy and Chinabeing cautious of its international image, willincreasingly resort to hybrid warfare, whichemphasises on tactical level and grey-zone con-

flicts and incorporates a long-termstrategic dimension in international dis-putes. Such type of operations occasion-ally pass the threshold of war. Responseto this type of warfare is not purely mil-itary but collective, including politicaland economic. Thus, there is a need tobe prepared across different spectrumsand different spheres to meet growingchallenges. Hybrid warfare and grey-zone conflicts are usually considered tobe synonymous but they are not. On theone hand, India has to ward off China’s“unrestricted warfare” threat, particu-larly in the North-east and in our neigh-bourhood, to weaken good relationswith our neighbours. On the other hand,we face hybrid threat based on uncon-ventional means and employment ofnon-state actors, particularly in ournorthern and western borders. Whilethe former closely approximates thegrey-zone conflict with strategic intent,the latter resembles the hybrid warfarebased on tactical and operational levelacts, basically aimed at fragmentingIndia. Thus, in 2020, the Governmentmust concentrate on formulating pro-tocols and procedures to meet thechallenges posed by this twin threat.

A beginning has been made withthe much-anticipated appointment ofa Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Notonly the selection but even the conceptof CDS is nascent and would need timeto stabilise. “Purplisation” of the Indianarmed forces would not be that easy.The Government needs to be compli-mented for taking the bold decision andsetting the process in motion. Themuch-needed reforms in the DefenceMinistry to curb the widening gulfbetween the bureaucrat-led Ministryand the armed forces, whose profes-sional advice is generally overruled bythe generalist bureaucrats, is the next

bold step the Government needs totake. Perfect harmony and profession-al respect will be needed between thethree service heads and the CDS for theidea of “first among the equals” to suc-ceed. Also, a clear line will have to bedrawn between the charters of CDS andthe National Security Advisor (NSA).The idea to succeed would need unbri-dled support from the political hierar-chy, which so far needs to be moreinclined towards the bureaucracy.

To stake our claim as a formidablepower, we have to ensure that we haveenough means militarily and, other-wise, to ensure protection of our vitalnational interests and security objec-tives. There is a need to identify weak-nesses and gaps in our security struc-ture and take measures to plug them.For this, the need to formulate anational security doctrine is long over-due. In absence of the doctrine, vari-ous organs of the Government andother stakeholders are unable to preparea coordinated response to meet threatsand challenges to our national securi-ty. From the doctrine will flow thenational security strategy, which willenable different stakeholders in theGovernment to carry out an “ends ver-sus means” analysis and prepare theperspective plans for their respectiveMinistries. 2020 is the year when themuch-awaited national security doc-trine may see the light of the day.

Internal security situation in thecountry appears to be moving towardsnormalcy. Certain peripheral militantgroups are trying to raise their ugly headsto undermine peace, tranquillity andcommunal harmony. Popular Front ofIndia is developing into a potent threatand its political wing, Social DemocraticParty of India (SDPI), has a significantfollowing in the Southern States and is

spreading its wings in the EasternStates, too. Growing links between thePFI and various illegal immigrant organ-isations is another cause of concern. PFIalso has a big hand in growing radical-isation in South India.

As far as Jammu & Kashmir is con-cerned, Pakistan will continue to be anirritant till it is forced to give up the pol-icy of State-sponsored terrorism.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, whileaddressing the passing out parade ofGentlemen Cadets at Indian MilitaryAcademy, Dehradun, comprehensive-ly summed up the deep State ofPakistan, “Besides following terrorismas State policy, several non-State actorshave become much powerful in thatcountry and State actors have beenreduced to mere puppets.”

While Pakistan would continue tofoment trouble, the Over GroundWorkers (OGW) network, which isdeep rooted in the State, will have to bebrought under control in order to rootterrorism/militancy. The entire ecosys-tem in Kashmir is very badly subvert-ed. OGWs are a major part of this sys-tem but very difficult to identify andsegregate. They have infiltrated everyorgan of the State. Most of them havedual face. They are hardcore national-ists when in a gathering that demandsso and are diehard sympathisers ofjihadis when away from that environ-ment. They are the master of the art of“biting the hand that feeds them.”The present relative calm prevailing inKashmir cannot be taken at its facevalue. A crackdown on the OGWs in2020 is mandatory for lasting peace, theultimate aim, for which Article 370 hasbeen abrogated.

(The author is a Jammu-based vet-eran, political commentator, politicalanalyst, security and strategic analyst)

With immediate neighbours possessing significant capabilities and militaries thatare modernising rapidly, India needs to beef up its national security apparatus

analysis 07F I R S T C O L U M N

Way forward for FMCG

AMRINDER SINGH

Changing market dynamics bring with it an array ofproducts that compete for customer loyalty andattention. Let’s look at market trends for 2020

ANIL GUPTA

TO STAKE OURCLAIM AS A

FORMIDABLEPOWER, WE HAVETO ENSURE THAT

WE HAVEENOUGH MEANSMILITARILY AND,OTHERWISE, TO

ENSUREPROTECTION OF

OUR VITALNATIONAL

INTERESTS ANDNATIONALSECURITY

OBJECTIVES.THERE IS A

NEED TOIDENTIFY

WEAKNESSESAND GAPS IN

OUR SECURITYSTRUCTURE ANDTAKE MEASURES

TO PLUG THEM

India’s Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector has seenremarkable transformation over the last two decades. This wasfacilitated by rising income levels, urbanisation and a change in

consumer behaviour. In general, industry sentiment has been pos-itive and optimistic, post demonetisation and the roll out of the Goodsand Services Tax (GST). Rural consumption has superseded indus-try expectation with modern retail estimated to grow three times inthe next five years. A significant change in lifestyle choices as wellas substantial increase in disposable income has fuelled this growth.Nonetheless, changing market dynamics bring with it an array ofproducts that compete for customer loyalty and call for attention.Here is a look at the trends for the FMCG market:

Digitisation: Increase penetration of smart phones and inter-net will lead to people, especially in the rural areas, gaining easyaccess to daily needs via e-commerce websites. Availability of easymobile payment options has lead to an increase in the number oforders from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, which enables people to gettimely delivery of goods at their doorstep.

Multiple channels of trade: This help users make purchasesthrough social media platforms on which they spend a lot of timelike Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. This has led to people expe-riencing an interactive form of shopping experience. Customers getthe best of both, entertainment and shopping. Other than tradition-al portals like Flipkart and Amazon supermarket apps like Grofersand Big Basket, too, have become popular.

D2C model: This is a popular business model that allows buy-ers to get goods directly from the seller/manufacturers, eliminat-ing the need of any middlemen. Several e-commerce websites havebeen set for this purpose. Buyers save money as well as time.

Brand community: Users these days can interact with otherpeople, who have bought the same product and talk at length andseek reviews about them. A lot of brands are devising marketingstrategies to build brand community, where they target people whoare interested in their products and have similar social, political andcultural factors. This makes interaction a bit more personal than isthe case with customer care representatives.

Foreign brands: International brands have left no stone unturnedto enter the Indian market for the demand their products have gen-erated. This has forced local as well as domestic manufacturersto up their game and provide cheaper alternatives while not com-promising on quality to offer the same sense of pride that a foreignproduct provides.

Consumer behaviour: This is something that cannot be castin a permanent pattern. However, there are a few patterns that havebeen present for a long time, diverting our attention to the waysconsumers spend their money. After analysing past and presentdata, one will come across trends of consumer behaviour, whichwill be prevalent throughout 2020. One of them is consumers buy-ing family packs and combo offers as it saves them an extra tripto the grocery store. Other common instances of consumer behav-ior are: High demand of ready-to-eat snacks, wellness products,mostly organic and premium quality products. In order to keep upwith these trends, every FMCG firm must be pro-active in takingsteps that can ensure brand-building and longevity in the market.

Build strategy around consumer preference: It is importantto devise brand strategy around consumer preference as today’sbuyers are very informed and patient when it comes to product deci-sion-making. Users these days check the ingredients of the prod-uct, its carbon footprint and health benefits, too.

Attractive merchandising: This is important when it comesto the sale and purchase of products. In this highly visual world,consumers purchase products that catches their eye. And if theylike it, they will go for it again. So, FMCG companies must makesure that the packaging on display is impeccable.

Optimise marketing efforts: A digital strategy is needed to tar-get customers, who have performed a search for products offeredby the brand. With so much data available, it is imperative to hirea team to analyse current market demand for products and thengenerate authentic leads to convert them into sales.

Market intelligence and consumer insights: Any brand or com-pany cannot stay in the market for long if it has not done a thor-ough research. A company, which is aware of the prevalent pat-tern, will mostly make decision to its benefit than otherwise. Thiswill save them a lot of money as they will be able to get the rightnumber of products out in the market for direct consumption, espe-cially if the shelf-life of their products is not long. Organising con-sumer insights into data points helps companies predict the futureconsumer pattern and soar above their competitors.

(The writer is director of a food company)

The just-concluded 25th UN conferenceon climate change held in Madrid wasa massive climate congregation com-

prising 25,000 participants from across theworld, including Greta Thunberg, the teenageSwedish activist. Although unrest caused theoriginal venue, Santiago, Chile, to be changedto Madrid at the last minute, the fervorremained unchanged in the form of all nightclimate debates between delegates andMinisters. In the opening address, UNSecretary General, Antonio Guterres, under-lined the need to have an environmentalcourse correction and stressed on the impor-tance of increased ambition and commitmenttowards nature conservation.

Outcomes: A positive conference moodwas set in motion with “ambition”, “action”and “commitment” being highlighted as thekey driving forces for this year’s COP. Thehashtag #TimeforAction was the official tagof the conference with stress being laid on “cli-mate ambition alliance” to accelerate progress

towards the Paris goals. But this initial enthu-siasm fizzled out as the conference struggledto make progress on almost all fronts.

The COP25 was meant to finalise the rulebook for the Paris Agreement and specificpolicies were to be discussed and finalised tomitigate loss and damage. It deals withunavoidable and irreversible impacts of cli-mate change, where mitigation has failed, andadaptation is not possible. But none of themcould materialise. However, COP25 sent astrong message to the participants to be wellprepared as 2020 would be most critical —it marks the deadline for the carbon emis-sion reduction targets set by nations. It alsomarks the deadline for the $100 billion infinance to be provided to developing coun-tries, a commitment made by the developedcountries in Paris.

Barring the tepid proceedings of COP25,the Gender Action Plan (GAP) proved to bean exception. Participant Governmentsadopted a new five-year GAP that progres-sively builds upon the first one and enablesgender-just climate solutions. The GAP notonly aims to provide gender equality in theUNFCC processes but also takes into accounthuman rights and challenges faced by indige-nous people in ensuring climate justice andcommunity protection.

The conference also saw vociferous rep-resentation and arguments by nations belong-

ing to the Like Minded Developing CountriesGroup (LMDC), including India, in favourof an expedited climate finance corpus thatcould be set up by the developed nations tohelp the developing ones build capacity andmeet climate commitments. India also raisedthe important issue at COP25 of whether thedeveloped nations were actually doingenough to cut down emissions.

A lost opportunity: The dismay due tolack of meaningful progress at the COP25 waswrit large. It was summed by Guterres whenhe expressed his personal disappointment onthe outcome of COP25. Even though the con-ference overshot its scheduled end by over44 hours, this year’s COP was conspicuousfor its inability to reach consensus in manyimportant areas, thanks to charged updebates that yielded no concrete decisions.As a result, pertinent matters got pushed intothe next year’s conference. The discussionsgetting bogged down in technical debatesconcerning carbon market mechanisms andother issues ensured that swift conferenceprogress becomes a casualty.

Moreover, year after year, what hasbeen seen is a triangular disconnect betweenthe UNFCC procedures, the aspirations of theparticipants and the demands of the environ-mental protests world over. This year’s COPwas no different. The UNEP Emissions GapReport released on the sidelines of the COP

admitted the widening chasm between setgoals and required action. According to theUNEP report, even if Nationally DeterminedContributions (NDCs) are met, the emissionsin 2030 will still be 38 per cent higher thanwhat is required to meet that target. Unlessthe UN procedures become agile and caterto the rising expectations of the global com-munity, there’s a risk that subsequent climateconferences, too, may end up in a limbo. Thiscan have a severe impact on the credibilityof the annual COP event.

Takeaways for India: The COP25 maynot have ended in taking remarkable deci-sions but the outcomes brought clarity tobring global green house gas emissions downto 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030. Thiswas accompanied by the urgent need to limitrising global temperatures to 1.5oC. Thesemeasures will be instrumental in achievingglobal carbon neutrality by 2050. For India,it is critical to integrate these goals and ensureconcrete progress in environmental conser-vation. This is possible only through a par-ticipative civil society led by a strong and com-mitted Government.

The adoption of GAP is crucial for India,where gender-related complexities are aplen-ty in all spheres, including fighting climatechange. For example, the women populationin the country stands at 48 per cent where-as their representation in the legislature is only

12 per cent. This watered-down representa-tion translates into an insipid role of womenin fighting climate action, justice and conser-vation. This skewed imbalance has becomethe unfortunate norm and must be chal-lenged. The integration of GAP intoGovernment policies can do just that and leadto equal representation of women.

During the adoption of GAP at COP25,it was specifically highlighted that proper andsuccessful implementation by participatingnations will ensure overall global success ofthe initiative. To make this a reality and deriveequal participation of women in climate ini-tiatives, the Government of India mustfocus on capacity-building, enhanced imple-mentation of gender responsive climateaction at all levels in the form of genderresponsive technology solutions. These mea-sures will help secure the rightful place ofwomen and ensure gender equality. If theGovernment is able to expedite GAP imple-mentation by executing relevant policies andengaging the civil society adequately, Indiacan proudly show the progress it has madeat the next COP26 in Glasgow, the UK.

During the course of the conference, theAssociation of Small Island States (AOSIS)charged India, Brazil and China for block-ing ambitious outcomes in Article 6 discus-sions pertaining to carbon markets. This neg-ative comment on our nation was both

embarrassing and avoidable. But parallelly,India, along with China, the US and the EU,accounted for almost 60 per cent of the car-bon dioxide emissions in 2017. So, it is essen-tial for India to get its act together and bringdown the fossil fuel combustion levels dras-tically by the end of 2020 so that enoughprogress is visible. The fast tracking ofrenewable power generation and creation ofadditional carbon sink for CO2 can helpachieve that.

Looking ahead: A lot of expectations arenow attached with COP26. Chief concernremains the loss and damage, carbon mar-kets, transparency and, crucially, the rulebookfor the Paris Agreement. Most importantly,member nations will have to boost their car-bon cuts if the world were to achieve the lim-iting of global temperatures to under 1.5oC.Similarly, the developed nations will have toshow intent by achieving NDCs and alsoextending a helping hand to the developingnations in achieving their goals as well as byproviding the promised $ 100 billion climatefinance support. Of late, COP events havebecome sites of protests, loophole negotiationsand blame-games. This has to stop. The worldmust sit down as a family and discuss theimminent common threat of climate changeand take sincere action.

(The writer is an environmental journalist)

India must get to the rightful place

KOTA SRIRAJ

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | DECEMBER 30, 2019

www.dailypioneer.com

While the COP25 climate talks ended in a deadlock, all is not lost. India must ensure that during the next COP, it is hailed as a nation that has led by example

VIJAYAWADA MONDAY DECEMBER 30, 2019 money 08

CAPSULE

Tatas gaining upperhand in decision-making at AirAsiaMUMBAI: As AirAsia Indiastruggles to find a firmfoothold in the competitivedomestic aviation space, Tatasare gaining upper hand insteering the no-frills carrierwith executives from theconglomerate helming mostsenior positions, according toa source. A joint venture,majority-owned by Tatas, theairline's other shareholder isMalaysia's AirAsia group. Thecarrier, which commencedflights nearly six years ago,flew 8.78 lakh passengersgarnering 6.8 per centdomestic market share inNovember. Over the years,there have been concernsraised in certain quartersabout alleged role of theMalaysian partner having abigger say in various mattersrelated to AirAsia India.

DHFL creditors tomeet on Monday fordiscussing resolutionMUMBAI: The Reserve Bankof India-appointedadministrator of the crippledDHFL called for a meeting ofits creditors for the first timeon Monday after the mortgagelender was admitted forinsolvency proceedings. Thethird-largest pure playmortgage player is the firstnon-banking financialcompany or housing financecompany to face the corporateinsolvency resolution process.The Mumbai bench of theNCLT had admitted thecompany for insolvencyresolution on December 2 andappointed Indian OverseasBank former managingdirector and CEO RSubramaniakumar as thecompany's administrator."Since the resolutionprofessional (administrator)has now been appointed, he ismeeting all the creditors andwill discuss the way forwardfor resolution of the company,"a source said.

Green certificatesales down 10 pc to 5.04 lakh in DecNEW DELHI: Sales ofrenewable energy certificatesfell around 10 per cent to 5.04lakh units in December ascompared to 5.59 lakh in thesame month a year ago due tolower supply, according toofficial data. Indian EnergyExchange (IEX) and PowerExchange of India (PXIL) arethe two power bourses in thecountry which are engaged intrading of renewable energycertificates (RECs) andelectricity. The trading of RECsis conducted on the lastWednesday of every month.But due to Christmas holiday,the trading this month wasdone on the last Thursday.According to official data, IEXsaw total trade of 3.6 lakhRECs in December ascompared to 3.83 lakh in thesame month last year.

PNS n NEW DELHI

India's economy is expected torebound in 2020 on the back ofmeasures taken by the govern-ment and the RBI coupledwith easing of global tradetensions, industry body CII saidon Sunday. The chamber alsosuggested a flexible fiscal pol-icy that will set a central gov-ernment's target for the deficitin the range of around 0.5 to0.75 per cent, and said it is like-ly to have a significant multi-plier effect on the economy. Itsaid that as we are set to enterthe new year, there are nascentsigns that the economy is on abetter footing than what it wasin the year gone by. "With theproactive measures taken bythe government and theReserve Bank of India (RBI),industry believes that the slow-down will be overcome, and agradual recovery will soon bein place." "Nascent signs ofrecovery are noted in the formof improved PMIs (PurchasingManagers' Index) of manufac-turing and services, jump inpassenger air traffic, sharpmoderation in the decline insales of passenger cars, among

others," said CII PresidentVikram Kirloskar.

He added that though theeconomy may continue to seea subdued GDP print in thethird quarter as well, the quar-ters thereafter are likely to seea rebound.

According to theConfederation of IndianIndustry (CII), with the initialdifficulties associated with thegoods and services tax (GST)and the Insolvency andBankruptcy Code (IBC) gettinggradually ironed out, the indus-try is hopeful of substantial

benefits for the economy. It saidthat while 2019 will be remem-bered as one where the sys-temic clean-up of the financialsector picked up pace, whichmight have resulted in "short-term pain", this tidying up willhave extensive positive ramifi-cations for the economy in theshort-to-medium term.

"On balance, all these factorswill have a significant bearingon growth in the next fiscal.Add to this, the easing of glob-al trade tensions along withlagged impact of monetaryeasing coupled with improved

transmission, and we are in fora gradual recovery getting firm-ly entrenched by the next fis-cal," Kirloskar said.

CII believes that with thesharp moderation in growth,the time has come to adopt anexpansionary fiscal policy.

"Just like our medium-terminflation target range, we canhave a flexible fiscal policytarget which will set a centraltarget for the fiscal deficit witha range of around 0.5 to 0.75per cent. The additional avail-ability of funds may be spent onkey infrastructure projectswhich can be implementedquickly. This is likely to have asignificant multiplier effect onthe economy," said CIIPresident-Designate UdayKotak. In the subsequent years,there can be a glide path to con-verge to the FiscalResponsibility and BudgetManagement trajectory over a2-3-year time frame, he added.

Besides, the chamber sug-gested that in order to increasethe tax base and ensure high-er compliance, it is necessary tosimplify and reduce the num-ber of GST rates and increaseits coverage.

Indian economy likelyto rebound in 2020: CII PNS n PANAJI

The Centre can explore thepossibility of installing hydro-power generating plants inMahadayi basin of Goa regionif feasible sites are identified,Union Power Minister RKSingh has said.

Goa is also looking into thepossibility of installing hydro-power plants at two of itsprominent dams, accordingto state Power Minister NileshCabral. Singh met Cabral at thePower Grid Corporation'sfacility at Colvale village, locat-ed about 20 km from here, onSaturday. After the meeting,Singh said if Goa identifiessome sites for hydro-electric-ity projects in the Mahadayibasin, then the NationalHydroelectric PowerCorporation (NHPC) wouldlook into its feasibility.

"If you (Goa) indicate somesites to us, I will ask the NHPCto come and investigate thesites, and if it is feasible, thenwe will set up hydro-powerplants," he said. The Mahadayiriver, which originates inKarnataka, meets the ArabianSea at Miramar near Panaji.

Both the states are locked ina dispute over sharing theMahadayi river water.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod

Sawant recently announcedconstruction of six dams overthe Mahadayi river basinfalling under the state's juris-

diction. Cabral said the possi-bility of setting up hydro-power plants at the existingSelaulim (in South Goa dis-trict) and Anjunem (NorthGoa district) dams was alsobeing explored.

"We have dams at Selaulimand Anjunem, both have in-built tunnels. Earlier, it was notfeasible to generate powerthere. But with the differentstructuring (technology), asthe minister (Singh) hasexplained to us, we have askedfor their say on these twoplants, whether power can begenerated," Cabral said.k

‘Will see if hydro-power plantpossible in Mahadayi basin’

PNS n KOLKATA

Amid concerns that Coal IndiaLtd (CIL) may fall short of its660 million tonne (MT) pro-duction target for the currentfiscal, the miner has plannedto rap up daily output to meetthe goal, officials said.

Till December, the miner isexpected to produce close to390 MT of coal and willrequire another 270 MT in thelast quarter of this fiscal tomeet the annual productiontarget. Currently, Coal Indiaproduces 1.8 MT per day whilethe asking rate to achieve thetarget is 2.9 MT, they said.

Internally, Coal India hasplanned to raise its productionto 3 MT per day at least inFebruary and March next yearto inch closer to the target,Coal India officials said.

According to the provision-al data, the miner produced330.38 MT of coal duringApril-November in the 2019-20 fiscal, down by 7.8 per centfrom 358.30 MT in the year-ago period. Unless the minerincreases its daily productionto 2.5 MT per day fromJanuary to March period, it willstruggle to surpass the pro-duction figure of the last fiscal,company sources said.

In 2018-19, Coal India pro-duced 606.89 MT while dis-patch was at 608.14 MT.

Coal India's offtake at 363.63MT during April- Novemberperiod was down by 7.2 percent from 392.02 MT suppliedin the year-ago period.

CIL officials said the coalofftake was at 410 MT tillDecember 27, 2019 as againsta target of 467 MT. In October,a rating agency had projectedthat the coal behemoth mightmiss the production target by50-75 MT in the current fiscal.

Performance of Coal India'stwo key subsidiaries-Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd(MCL) and South EasternCoalfields Ltd (SECL)- will becrucial in remaining threemonths of the current fiscal tomeet its production target, theofficials said.

Mining activities in the two

subsidiaries had been hitseverely during monsoon andalso due to law and orderissues, they said. According toproduction data, SECL andMCL registered a negativegrowth of 14.5 and 9.8 per centrespectively as on December27, 2019, a CIL official said,adding that thes companieshave been taking all measuresto overcome hurdles and rampup production.

CIL, however, is apprehen-sive about coal demand withdeclining electricity generationof thermal power plants in thecountry till November thisyear, officials said.

"If the current trend con-tinues, it have an adverseimpact on CIL's productionand dispatch," they added.

Coal India chalks out strategyto meet 660 MT production

Power discoms faced lossesworth Rs 27,000 cr in FY19PANAJI: Power distribution companies in the country suffered lossesworth Rs 27,000 crore in 2018-19, Union Power Minister R K Singhhas said. The Centre aims to reduce electricity transmission anddistribution losses in the country to 15 per cent in next two years,Singh said here on Saturday. He met Goa Power Minister NileshCabral at the Power Grid Corporation's facility at Colvale, locatedabout 20 km from here. After the meeting, Singh said, "The total lossof all power distribution companies in the financial year 2018-19 wasRs 27,000 crore. That is huge. Because of the losses, the discomsare under stress." He noted that the discoms were facing issuesrelated to purchase of power, maintenance and others. "I have to helpthe discoms of all states to make them viable by reducing theirlosses," he said. Listing the targets for 2020, Singh said in somestates the transmission and distribution losses were very high.

Centre working on e-commerce, new industrial policies PNS n NEW DELHI

The DPIIT is working active-ly on the e-commerce as wellas new industrial policies, andboth are expected to bereleased by the end of this fis-cal, a top official has said.

"I personally feel that boththese policies will be ready bythis financial year end,"Department for Promotion ofIndustry and Internal TradeTrade (DPIIT) SecretaryGuruprasad Mohapatra said.

He said that the departmenthas done several round ofstakeholders' meetings on boththe policies.

The government in Februaryreleased a draft national e-com-

merce policy, proposing settingup a legal and technologicalframework for restrictions oncross-border data flow and

also laid out conditions forbusinesses regarding collec-tion or processing of sensitivedata locally and storing it

abroad. Several foreign e-com-merce firms have raised con-cerns over some points in thedraft pertaining to data. Thedepartment has received hugeresponse on the draft and it isexamining all the views andcomments. "We are workingactively on both the policies,"Mohapatra said. As the draft

policy includes several provi-sions related to data, thedepartment is also looking atthe Personal Data ProtectionBill approved by the Cabinetearlier this month. The pro-posed new industrial policy isaimed at promoting emergingsectors, reducing regulatoryhurdles and making India a

manufacturing hub.This will be the third indus-

trial policy after the first in1956 and the second in 1991.It will replace the industrialpolicy of 1991 which was pre-pared in the backdrop of thebalance of payment crisis.

The DPIIT had initiated theprocess of formulation of a newindustrial policy in May 2017.The new policy will subsumethe National ManufacturingPolicy (NMP). It had also float-ed a discussion paper on thepolicy with an aim to createjobs in next two decades, pro-mote foreign technology trans-fer and attract USD 100 billionforeign direct investment (FDI)annually.

The government in February released a draftnational e-commerce policy, proposing setting up a legal and technological framework forrestrictions on cross-border data flow and also laid out conditions for businesses regardingcollection or processing of sensitive data locally and storing it abroad

PNS n MUMBAI

After getting it badly frommarkets watchdog Sebi, cred-it rating agencies (CRAs)whose role in the bad loanimplosion has been underscrutiny for years now, theReserve Bank has blasted themfor allowing low-ratedcompanies to do"rating shopping".

It can be notedthat rating agen-cies have beenlargely blamedfor their lax poli-cies and oversightfor the 2008 globalfinancial crisis, whichprimarily spawned from junk-type mortgage bonds and theirderivatives worth trillion ofdollars that the Wall Streetbankers invented and hawkedacross the globe to get AAAratings and finally imploded.

Back home, a fortnightbefore IL&FS went belly up inSeptember 2018, rating agen-cies India Ratings, Icra andCare had given its debt papersAAA/AA+ ratings.

This finally had the Sebi lastFriday penalising Icra, Careand India Ratings Rs 25 lakheach for their "lapses in theirduty to investors by not taking

timely action" when they ratedNCDs of IL&FS which owesclose to Rs 1 lakh crore to thesystem. Sebi also found theagencies guilty of excessivelyrelying on assertions of theIL&FS management.

These CRAs had givenIL&FS the highest rating of

AAA, even when its sub-sidiary, IL&FS

Transport Networks,defaulted in June.There was also anabrupt downgradein the ratings of

bonds sold byIL&FS and related

entities, after theydefaulted in September.

Soon after they downgradedthe bonds from AA+ to defaultor junk.

In the 25th edition of theFinancial Stability Reportreleased on Friday, the RBI haswarned of 'rating shopping' bycompanies for long-term bankloans based on indicative rat-ings given by CRAs which arenot available to the banks orinvestors. Rating shoppingrefers to how, a company or adebt paper manages to getsame or better rating fromanother agency within three months of it getting apoor rating.

RBI blasts CRAs for allowing ‘ratingshopping' by firms

PNS n NEW DELHI

As economic slowdown con-tinues to hurt sales, the Indianretail industry expects tobounce back in the second halfof 2020 on the back of con-sumer demand revival andincreased spending.

While major players strug-gled to keep themselves on thegrowth chart in 2019, theyexpect a decent double-digitgrowth coming back in 2020.

But sectoral experts are cau-tions, saying it would dependon various factors like recov-ery of manufacturing and othersectors, incentives in the UnionBudget and availability ofmoney in the hands of con-

sumers to make purchasingdecisions.

"We are hopeful that con-sumer sentiments will turnpositive as the year 2020 rolls

out. The second half of 2020could see a pickup in demandand growth," Future RetailJoint Managing DirectorRakesh Biyani said.

Though the economic slow-down started in high-ticketsegments like real estate, autoand consumer durables due tothe credit squeeze triggered bythe NBFC crisis, it has nowspread to other sectors such asretail as the consumption bas-ket shrank. According toDebashish Mukherjee, Partnerand Regional Lead, Consumerand Retail, Middle East &Africa at A T Kearney, in 2019the sector had challenges interms of lower growth.

"People expect growth tocome back in 2020. However,it depends on (how) consumersentiments improves and theconsumer has to feel reallyricher than they are.

Retail industry expects growth in 2nd half of 2020

Care Hospitalsto add 800 bedsacross India by2021PNS n NEW DELHI

Care Hospitals, part ofD u b a i - h e a d q u a r t e r e dEvercare Group, is looking toadd 800 beds in its portfolioacross India by 2021, a topcompany official said.

The healthcare providercurrently has 12 hospitals inIndia with 2,200 beds, pro-viding multi-specialty tertiarycare. "Our objective is to reacha total of 3,000 beds across ourhospitals in India in next twoyears. For this we would liketo add 800 more beds in ourportfolio by end of 2021 acrossthe country," Care HospitalsGroup CEO and EvercareGroup MD Raajiv Singhalsaid. Out of these, 250 bedswill be in the group's fourthhospital in Visakhapatnamthat is coming up, he added."We are also looking toacquire some hospitals in cer-atin other parts of the coun-try, the beds will come eitherthrough acquisition or fromthe expansion of the existingfacilities," Singhal said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

German automobile companyAudi expects Indian luxury carmarket to remain flat next yearand growth to come in only in2021, having gone through achallenging 2019.

The company, which is set tokick off 2020 with the launchof its flagship SUV Q8 inJanuary followed by new ver-sion of A8 sedan in February,is cautiously optimistic aboutthe year that will mark thetransition to stricter emissionnorm BS-VI.

"In terms of growth esti-mates for the luxury car mar-ket, we estimate it to remainflat in 2020 and we are hope-ful of positive growth starting2021," Audi India Head BalbirSingh Dhillon said.

Indian luxury car market,

comprising top five players —Mercedes, BMW, Audi, JLRand Volvo, witnessed a totalsales of 40,340 units in 2018and is expected to see a declinein 2019. The companies are,however, yet to release their upto date sales data.

"2019 was a challenging yearfor the automotive industry,thereby building the pressureon new car sales," Dhillonsaid.

The company has launchedAudi A4 Quick-lift, Audi Q7Black-edition and all-new AudiA6 this year.

Indian luxury car market to be flat in2020, growth to return in 2021: Audi

India's coalimports rise 4 % to 161 MTin Apr-NovPNS n NEW DELHI

The country's coal importsregistered an increase of 4.4 percent to 161.43 million tonnes(MT) in the April-Novemberperiod of the ongoing fiscal.This comes amid the Centreexuding hope that imports ofthe fossil fuel would be con-tained to 235 MT this financialyear. India had imported154.56 MT of coal in April-November 2018, according toa report by mjunction services.

"On a progressive basis(April-November '19) (provi-sional), total coal...importswere recorded at 161.43 MT, a4.45 per cent increase against154.56 MT imported for thesame period last year (April-November '18)," it said.

mjunction — a joint venturebetween Tata Steel and SAIL -- is a B2B e-commerce com-pany which also publishesresearch reports on coal andsteel verticals. Coal imports inNovember declined by mar-ginal 0.8 per cent to 17.80 MT,against 17.95 MT in the samemonth last fiscal. "The weakdemand from the thermalpower sector and an increasein seaborne prices, especiallyfor the South African materi-al, led to a slight drop in vol-umes during the month.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Six of the 10 most valuedIndian companies suffered acombined erosion of Rs64,419.10 crore in market val-uation last week, with RIL tak-ing the biggest knock.

While TCS, HDFC Bank,Kotak Mahindra Bank, SBIand ITC were the other firmswhich witnessed a decline intheir market capitalisation (m-cap) for the week endedFriday, HDFC, HUL, ICICIBank and Infosys emerged asgainers.

The valuation of Reliance

Industries Limited (RIL) tum-bled Rs 36,291.90 crore to Rs9,77,600.27 crore.

HDFC Bank's market capplunged Rs 11,666.10 crore toRs 6,98,266.18 crore and thatof Tata Consultancy Services(TCS) tanked Rs 9,155.82crore to Rs 8,24,830.44 crore.

The m-cap of ITC fell Rs5,241.22 crore to Rs2,91,238.23 crore and that ofKotak Mahindra Bank slippedRs 1,528.55 crore to Rs3,21,960.76 crore.

SBI's valuation dipped Rs535.48 crore to Rs 3,00,982.52crore.

6 of top-10 cos lose Rs 64,419 cr in m-cap

PNS n HYDERABAD

he dream of anyfilmmaker is toestablish a globalplatform andHollywood, theland of opportu-

nities, provides that plat-form. The accomplishmentis often associated withovercoming obstacles andrejections due to which it isstill an elusive dream tomany in successfully creat-ing and releasing a film. De-spite these challenges,writer-turned-director,Jagadeesh Daneti is gradual-ly paving his path to realisehis Hollywood dream.

During his journey intoHollywood, he struck achord with the entertain-ment elite of the place whohelped him make his direc-torial debut a reality. He willbe announcing the same inthe coming weeks.

Jagadeesh Daneti’s collab-oration with Johnny Martin(Martini Films) has beencrucial for the former’sbreakthrough into globalcinema. Martin is an award-winning Hollywood produc-er, director and stunt coordi-nator, who has contributedto many prolific filmsincluding James Cameron’s,Titanic. He has directed andproduced films with AlPacino (The Hangman),Nicholas Cage (Vengeance, ALove Story), Cuba GoodingJr. (Hitlist, Lies & Illusions),John Travolta (I Am Wrath)and coordinated stunts forKeanu Reeves (The Matrix),Hugo Weaving and NataliePortman (V for Vendetta). Ina recent conference in LosAngeles, Martin shared hisinterest and excitement incollaborating with Jagadeeshfor his Hollywood directori-al debut and future projectsslated for early 2020.

Indians are known to havean intense passion for films,which in turn providesextreme potential for world-wide film and media part-nerships. Though Jagadeeshis born and raised in India,his interest in understandingother cultures coupled witha quest for authenticity, he

has created a unique data-base of captivating scriptsfor global releases.

During his most recenttrip to the US, Jagadeeshmade alliances with produc-tion companies and agenciesfor his upcoming projects.The projects will open doorsfor a vast global network ofstakeholders includinginvestors, producers, distrib-utors, cast and crew.

His narration and scriptsessions unearthed names ofmany Indian actors who willbe sharing the screen withwell-known Hollywoodactors.

DURING HIS JOURNEYINTO HOLLYWOOD, HESTRUCK A CHORDWITH THEENTERTAINMENTELITE THERE WHOHELPED HIM MAKEHIS DIRECTORIALDEBUT A REALITY

ven in the 21stcentury, people arestill being discrim-inated on the basisof caste and reli-gion. As a member

of the Scheduled Castes,Kamareddy-based ShyamjoelSwaero has faced discrimina-tion of various forms in thehands of other communitiessince his childhood. This hasrestricted him from makingusing of facilities that wouldbe available for others.

Now, through his NGO

Abhitha, he conducts variousactivities for the margin-alised. This includes teachingself defense and skill devel-opment to rural girl students,educating them about theirreproductive health, and pro-viding employment to ruralwomen by training them inmaking handlooms.

For his efforts, Shyamjoelhas received TCC-REXKarmaveer Global YoungLeaders Fellowship and theAmbedkar National DignityAward in 2019. Speaking to

The Pioneer, Shyamjoel says,“I started Abhitha along withmy friends to work for therights of girl children,women and underprivilegedyouth in the society. Abhithacreates safe space for chil-dren, women and the mar-ginalised communities. Wework on strengthening theirknowledge base, increasingtheir capacity to learn skillsin a holistic manner so theycan assert their right to life,dignity and livelihood.”

Reacting to what inspired

him to start an NGO forrural women, Shyamjoel says,“I started my schooling in arural government schoolwhere I faced a lot of hurdlesand discrimination. We wereshunned to live on the out-skirts of our village and wewere scared to walk insidethe village fearing anger fromother communities. It wassuffocating back then. I stillremember how my father wasordered to vacate our rentedhouse for giving tuitions toDalit students. I also remem-

ber other forms of discrimi-nation like being made tostand in a separate queuewith my mother to fetchwater from the well. Thank-fully, we don’t see that in thecity so much.”

He adds, “Awareness aboutrights, a sense of security andaccess to justice are muchbetter in the city than inmany rural areas. But I dokeep hearing about sophisti-cated forms of segregation inurban spaces too.”

Despite all the troubles hefaced growing up,Shyamjoel’s passion for edu-cation helped him get admis-sion into the Anthropologydepartment at the DelhiUniversity.

He says that learning selfdefense is important forwomen. He even arranged aself defense trainer, SherlyDevarapalli, for the girl stu-dents.

He and his team teachhandicraft to women in ruralareas. They provide rawmaterials and also help themin selling the final productsthrough stalls in universitieslike HCU, DU, Azim Premjiand popular marketplaceslike Shilparamam.

He also spreads awarenessabout government schemesfor the Scheduled Castes. Hesays, “Now, we are currentlyeducating people about theRight to Education 12(1)(C)Act which mandates non-minority private unaidedschools to keep 25 per cent ofseats for children belongingto disadvantaged sectionswhich will create a moreinclusive schooling system.We are also planning to workwith manual scavengers.”

An anthropology student's NGO for women is helping them learn self defense and skill development while spreading awareness about

discrimination on the basis of caste and religion, finds V SATEESH REDDY

E

Striving for marginalised

I started Abhitha along with myfriends to work for the rights ofgirl children, women andunderprivileged youth in thesociety. Abhitha creates safe spacefor children, women and themarginalised communities. Wework on strengthening theirknowledge base, increasing theircapacity to learn skills in a holisticmanner so they can assert theirright to life, dignity and livelihood.

SHYAMJOEL SWAEROSOCIAL WORKER

Indian director makeswaves in Hollywood

T‘HYDERABADIsALWAYS SHOWERED LOVE FOR CRICKET'

Indian fastbowler

BhuvneshwarKumar shares

about hissport injuries,

playing forSunrisers

Hyderabadand more,

reportsV SATEESH

REDDY

have beenplaying forthe Sunri-sers Hyder-abad in theIndian Pre-

mier League (IPL) formany years now andthe people ofHyderabad have beensupportiveof my

work and always show-ered love for cricket,”said Indian fast bowlerBhuvneshwar Kumar,who was in the city onSunday for the launchof a store.

BhuvneshwarKumar, who is recover-ing from an injury, wasruled out from team

India during theWest Indies

tour. Whenaskedabout howand whenhe plansto rejointhe team,

Bhuvi says,“Every play-er goesthrough

tough times.It’s importantto get fit as

soon as possi-ble. I am takingall measurespossible so that

I can join myIndian

squad soon.”Bhuvneshwar Kumar isknown for his outswi-ngers.

Usually Indianbowlers are best knownfrom their spin, partic-ularly on Indian pitch-es. After Bharat Aruntook charge as thebowling coach, one cansee the improvement inthe performance ofIndia’s fast bowlers.“Bharat Arun is helpingIndian bowlersimprove their perfor-mance. He interactswith every bowler andsuggests changes tomake the bowler uptheir game constantly.Indian fast bowling isdefinitely on the risenow,” says Bhuvi.

When asked aboutan alternative he wouldchoose if not for crick-et, Bhuvi says that hewas interested in foot-ball and badmintonearlier and might cho-ose any one of them ifhe has to change hisvocation. He addedthat the team is

preparing well for theODI series withAustralia which isscheduled to beheld in January2020 in India.

When askedabout who isthe best bowlerin the team,Bhuvi admitsthat it is atough ques-tion to answeras everybowler havetheir ownspecialties.

I

Jagadeesh Daneti With Brookner, Head of Riverside County Film Division

Jagadeesh with Johnny Martin, Producer and Stunt Director of Martini Films

MondayDecember 30, 2019

Follow us [email protected]/dailypioneer

10

Vijayawada Monday December 30, 2019 what’s brewing?

asauti ZindagiiKay actor ParthSamthaan hasbeen roped in toplay a gangster inthe show Mai

Hero Boll Raha Hu.“I am extremely excited

about this new project as it ismy first full-fledged web ven-ture with ALTBalaji. It’s agangster-based show fromthe 90s and my character isinspired by a true story,”Parth said.

“I have been known forplaying a perfect hero kindon television which hasreceived immense love frommy fans and audiences. Withthis show, I am venturinginto a completely new terri-tory and viewers will get tosee me in a completely differ-ent avatar. The character hasits own machismo, attitude,glamour style from the 90sand far from the usual stuff,”he added.

Mai Hero Boll Raha Huchronicles the rise of theunderworld don Nawab’s risefrom 1980s to 1990s. Theseries will trace the world ofhero as he travels from thegun bazaars to the bylanes ofJogeshwari, counterfeit DVDrackets, to smuggling, extor-tion, killings and shootouts;from the glamour ofBollywood and Bangkok tothe reality of surviving jailand the slums of Mumbai.

“I believe gangster-basedshows are consumed andliked by all kinds of audi-ences and appreciated by theviewers nowadays. Moreover,as I have been labelled as anactor with more female fol-lowing, I think with thisshow I will be able to breakthat notion. Men and boyswould equally love this showas it’s an action-packeddrama with an incredibleadventure. I am really look-ing forward to it,” said Parth.

Parth Samthaan to play gangster in web series

K he Punjab Policeregistered a secondcase against actressRaveena Tandon,director-choreog-rapher Farah Khan

and comedian Bharti Singhfor allegedly hurting religioussentiments of the Christiancommunity on a TV show.

The latest case was regis-tered in Ferozepur canton-ment on Saturday. Earlier, itwas registered in Ajnala townin Amritsar district.

Peaceful protests have beencontinued in several parts ofPunjab against them despiteRaveena seeking an apology, ifthey hurt someone’s feelings.

“I haven’t said a word that canbe interpreted as an insult to anyreligion. The three of us (FarahKhan, Bharti Singh and I) neverintended to offend anyone, butin case we did, my most sincere

apologies to those who werehurt,” Raveena tweeted.

The case was registered onthe complaint of Sonu Jafar,President of the ChristianFront, in Punjab’s Ajnala town.

He alleged that religioussentiments of the Christianshave been hurt, when thestars trivialised the wordHallelujah, while trying topronounce it.

Hallelujah is a Hebrewword meaning Praise ye, Yah,referring to the Lord.

The case was registeredunder Section 295-A (deliber-ate and malicious acts, intend-ed to outrage religious feelingsof any class by insulting itsreligion or religious beliefs) ofthe Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The case was registered onthe complaint along thevideo footage of the pro-gramme.

T

ndian EDM loversreceived a surprisefrom American DJ duoAndrew Taggart andAlex Pall, who are pop-ularly known as The

Chainsmokers. On Saturdaynight, they played their latestsong Family live for the first timeand that too in Goa, one of India’smost popular tourist destinations.

The Chainsmokers concludedthe second day of the ongoingSunburn music festival, and theywooed audience a lot as they

belted out their popular tracksCloser and Don’t Let Me Down ata power-packed gig. But theymade spectators happier whenthey played their latest trackFamily live for the very firsttime.

“We have not played this songlive anywhere else... Playing livefor the first time because youguys are special,” the DJ-duosaid.

The music video for Family isan homage to TheChainsmokers’ close friend and

videographer, Rory Kramer,showing how powerful friend-ship can be. It’s made in collabo-ration with Norwegian DJ Kygo.

Not only this, after perform-ing at the gala, the duo took toInstagram and shared a glimpseof how they performed onFamily among the Indian crowd.

‘India family’, they captionedthe post.

The Chainsmokers endedtheir set with their chartbuster,Closer, and thanked the fans forbeing a wonderful audience.

The CHAINSMOKERSperform Family live for 1sttime, that too in IndiaI

2nd case againstRaveena, Farah forhurting Christiansentiments

FUN TIME

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

ith new yeararound the corner,one can expect ourmovie stars to flyaway to exoticlocales and ring in

the celebrations. SuperstarMahesh Babu, who makes it apoint to take a holiday once inthree months, is the first to flyout of Hyderabad. He wasspotted leaving the city alongwith his family at Shamshabadairport. For many years now,it has been a practice for theactor to undertake a vacationin the last week of December.While we don’t know wherehe is heading, the actor hascompleted dubbing for hisnext, Sarileru Neekevvaru, onThursday. With the theatricaltrailer set to be unveiled at thepre-release event on January 5,

Mahesh decided tocomplete dubbing, beforehe jets off for a vacay.

Allu Arjun who will becompeting with Mahesh thisSankranti is headed to anundisclosed location with hisfamily for New Year celebra-tions. Naga Chaitanya,Samantha and Akhil will wel-come 2020 in Goa.

On the other hand, VijayDeverakonda along withbrother Anand has left toDubai for the new year. It willbe short sojourn for the ArjunReddy star as he is expected tostart shooting for Fighter fromthe first week of January.Nithiin is already in Europeworking on Bheeshma songsand he will ring in the newyear there itself. He will beback by January 3.

ith Whistle per-forming reason-ably well in theTelugu states,Tamil superstarVijay has consoli-

dated his market here.Brought by Mahesh SKoneru for Rs 7 crore, thefilm, directed by Atlee, madea business of around Rs 10

crore. No wonder, the pro-ducer has decided to bet onthe actor’s next with Khaidifilmmaker Lokesh Kanagarajas well. We hear he hasacquired the film’s Telugudubbing rights for a price ofRs 8.75 crore, making it thehighest amount for a Vijayfilm till date. This is also thefirst time that a Vijay film

was sold to Telugu producerswhile it’s still on floors.Apparently, the actor wasimpressed with the wayMahesh promoted Whistle inTelugu and was instrumentalin his producer Xavier Brittoparting the rights to Mahesh.

Touted to be an action-thriller, the untitled film hasMalavika Mohanan of Petta

fame as the leading lady,while the likes of AndreaJeremiah, Gouri Kishan(who played the youngerversion of Trisha in ’96),Jallikattu actor AntonyVarghese, ShanthnuBhagyaraj, Sriman andBrigida will be seen in sup-porting roles. VijaySethupathi will be seen asVijay’s bête noire in the film.Unconfirmed reports indi-cate that Vijay is essaying therole of a college professor,who has a violent past. Thefilm is scheduled for an Aprilrelease.

fter working on itfor over six months,filmmaker Sukumarhas silently begunfilming his next withAllu Arjun.

According to a source close tothe unit, the director has shotfor six days in Kerala lastmonth. “The shoot took placein and around Athirappillyforests. Actors Shatru andJagadish (Gods of Dharmapurifame) took part in the shoot,”the source informed.

The second schedule willbegin immediately afterSankranti. “Non-stop schedule

will begin from January 17.Bunny will be joining the setsfor the first time then.Rashmika Mandanna’s dateshave been sought fromFebruary. As the pre-produc-tion has been meticulous,Sukumar is keen to wrap upthe film by May-end or June,”added the source.

An action-thriller, the yet-to-be-untitled film deals withred sanders smuggling as itscore point. We’ve learnt thatclose to 50-60 days of theshooting will take place in realforests. Mythri Movie Makersin association with

MuthamshettyMedia isproducingit, whilePolish cine-matographerMiroslaw KubaBrozek, who hasearlier filmed Nani-starrer Gang Leader,is the lens man.Sukumar’s fre-quent collaboratorDevi Sri Prasad isalso on board asthe music direc-tor.

— NG

lthough he hasn’t hit his peak as a come-dian despite featuring in a string of filmslike Aravinda Sametha Veeraraghava,Padi Padi Leche Manasu, Chitralahariand Chanakya in last 16 months, Sunilseems to be expanding his acting

repertoire as he has agreed to play the role of anantagonist in comedian Suhas’ debut film wherethe latter plays the lead. The film, titled ColourPhoto, is a romantic comedy set in the backdropof an engineering college in 1995. MasalaSundeep will be debuting as the director of thefilm, as announced on Sunday. Later, Suniltweeted about how excited he is to be a part ofthe film.

Colour Photo will feature Chandini Chowdaryalongside Suhas. The film is a joint productionventure by Sai Rajesh, Shravan Konka and BennyMuppaneni. Sai Rajesh also doubled as the film’swriter. Singer-musician Kaala Bhairava, who is rid-ing high on the accolades he is receiving for MathuVadalara, is the film’s music composer.

Sundeep made multiple comedy and short films fora web portal called Chai Bisket with Suhas in the lead.He has also written dialogues for an upcoming film,College Kumar, featuring Rahul Vijay.

TAXIWAALAGIRL makes her

Kollywood debutNAGARAJ GOUD

writes about howPriyanka

Jawalkar, whoselast feature

film Taxiwaalamade her

popular inthe film

circles, hasnow

managedto land

multipleprojects

axiwaala girlPriyanka Jawalkar’slong wait to land theright projects hasproved to be a wise

decision after all. After complet-ing her portions for debutantedirector Sujana’s maiden filmopposite Shiva Kandukuri some-time back, she has recentlysigned Manchu Manoj’s come-back film, a crime thriller, withanother debutant SrikanthReddy. To go to floors inFebruary, she plays a cop in it.

Now, The Pioneer has exclu-sively learnt that she is set tomake her debut in the Tamil filmindustry. The film in questionfeatures Tamil-Telugu actorSiddharth in the lead role.

A source chips in, “Priyanka isone of the two heroines in thefilm. The other is Nithya Menenwho will be seen as a Punjabi inthe film. Priyanka’s fair complex-ion aside, her experience inbeing front of the camera wasthe reason the film’s makersapproached her. In fact, theactress was looking to spread herwings to other industries whenthis offer came by. Impressed byher character sketch, she prontogave her nod. She has alreadyjoined the sets in Chennai.Takkar producers Sudhan andJayaram are producing the filmunder their production housePassion Studios.”

Vijayawada Monday December 30, 2019

WE HEAR MAHESH HASACQUIRED WHISTLETELUGU DUBBINGRIGHTS FOR A PRICEOF RS 8.75 CRORE

T

11

tollywood

A

Comedian SUNILto debut as a VILLAIN

Mahesh Konerubets on Vijay again

W

A

Ala Vaikunthapuramlo musical concerthe filming forAllu Arjun’sAla Vaikuntha-puramlo,which is slatedfor release on

January 12, has beenwrapped up. The filmingended with the shootingof the chartbuster ButtaBomma song at theAnnapurna Seven Acresover the weekend.

Beginning the promo-tional blitzkrieg, the mak-ers on Sunday announcedthat a musical concertwill be held on January 6at Yousufguda,Hyderabad. Initially, theywanted to hold the eventon January 5, but withMegastar Chiranjeeviattending a public func-tion on January 5 cele-brating Superstar Mahesh

Babu-starrer SarileruNeekevvaru, they’ve post-poned the musical con-cert by a day.

A family drama pep-pered with comedy andaction, the Trivikram’sdirectorial features anensemble cast consistingof Tabu, Sushanth,Navdeep, NivethaPethuraj, Jayaram,Sathyaraj, Sunil, Rajendra

Prasad, RahulRamakrishna,Brahmaji, HarshaVardhan and VennelaKishore.

It is a joint produc-tion venture betweenAllu Aravind and SRadha Krishna, withSS Thaman as themusic director.

SUKUMAR'S next onsmuggling begins

TW

Stars take off for

NEW YEAR celebrations

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | DECEMBER 30, 2019 sport 12

AFP n CENTURION

Proteas captain Faf du Plessisgave a ringing endorsement

of the changes in managementin South African cricket after hisside won the first Test againstEngland by 107 runs atSuperSport Park on Sunday.

The win broke a five-Testlosing sequence for the Proteasand gave them their first pointsin the World Test champi-onship.

“We’ve got the right peoplein the right jobs at the top ofCricket South Africa,” he said ofthe appointment of former cap-tain Graeme Smith as directorof cricket and Mark Boucher ashead coach after a period ofupheaval in the local game.

“Leadership always comesfrom the top and filters down,”said Du Plessis.

“I feel it set the tone for theway that we are playing rightnow. That’s a start for us as ateam. Now you can trust thesystem a little bit more and justfocus on playing cricket.”

An enthralling Test was stillin the balance at lunchtime onthe fourth day. After a tensemorning when England couldscore only 50 runs in 25 oversfor the loss of overnight bats-men Rory Burns (84) and Joe

Denly (31), England were 205runs short of their target of 376but had their best batsmen,captain Joe Root and Ben Stokesat the crease.

Immediately after lunch,with 14 overs to be bowledbefore the second new ball wasdue, Root and Stokes upped thetempo, adding 30 runs in fiveovers. Thirteen of those runscame from one over from left-arm spinner Keshav Maharajbut Du Plessis persevered withthe spinner.

It was Maharaj who madethe crucial breakthrough, bowl-ing Stokes for 14 when the left-hander tried to play a cut shotagainst a ball which pitched in

a rough area and deflected offhis glove onto the stumps.

“We had a lot of confidencein Kesh,” said Du Plessis.

“We kept saying that wehad a feeling that in the secondinnings he was going to get BenStokes out. He has got him outa few times and the way thatStokes plays he is going to takethe game on. We had a gut feel-ing that it was going to happen.It was a massive wicket for us.”

When the new ball wastaken seven overs later the endcame quickly as Kagiso Rabadaand Anrich Nortje blasted outthe remaining batsmen.

Rabada took four for 103and Nortje three for 56.

AFP n MELBOURNE

Nathan Lyon took four wickets asAustralia thrashed New Zealand by247 runs to win the second Test at

Melbourne and the series Sunday with abattling century from opener Tom Blundellproving futile.

The Black Caps, chasing a massive 488to win, were in serious trouble after a fieryJames Pattinson ripped through the top

order to leave them reeling at 38 for three.But some fighting partnerships spear-

headed by Blundell delayed the inevitableuntil Lyon worked his magic as the pitchdeteriorated.

Blundell was last man out for a swash-buckling 121— his second Test centuryand his first for two years — as NewZealand were dismissed for 240 with TrentBoult not batting after fracturing hishand in the first innings.

It was the second heavy defeat for theBlack Caps, who lost by 296 runs in Perthand will be playing for pride only in thefinal Test at Sydney later this week.

CREDIT TO AUSTRALIAIt was Head’s first innings century and

Paine’s quick-fire 79 that took the Test outof New Zealand’s reach after captainKane Williamson's bold decision to bowlafter winning the toss.

No team had ever chased down morethan 418 in Test history, though the recordwas set against Australia by the WestIndies in Antigua in 2003.

Pattinson, playing for the injured JoshHazlewood, did the early damage. NewZealand had reached 32-0 when hesnared the key wickets of Tom Latham,batting linchpin Williamson and theexperienced Ross Taylor for three justruns.

Latham, scorer of a dogged 50 in NewZealand's 148 first innings, fell for eightwhen he edged a thunderous delivery tothe diving Paine.

Williamson soon followed withoutscoring, lbw after unsuccessfully review-ing the umpire’s original decision.

Taylor didn’t fare much better, drag-ging onto his middle stump to leavePattinson with figures of 3-5 at lunch offtwo overs.

Henry Nicholls was the only wicket tofall between lunch and tea, cleverlystumped for 33 by Paine off Lyon just oneball after he smashed the spinner for six.

Blundell, in only his third Test, and BJWatling put on 72 before Lyon finally

broke their dangerous partnership, tempt-ing an outside edge from the New Zealandwicketkeeper that flew to David Warnerat slip and he was gone for 22.

Lyon then mopped up Colin deGrandhomme and Mitchell Santner beforeTim Southee was run out in a horror mix-up, with Blundell swinging his bat beforehe was caught by Lyon off MarnusLabuschagne.

Paine earlier declared Australia’s sec-ond innings on 168 for five after Head wasbowled by Neil Wagner for 28. MatthewWade was unbeaten on 30 with Wagnertaking 3-50.

They had resumed at 137 for four,building on their first innings 467.

AFP n MELBOURNE

New Zealand captain KaneWilliamson said his team

need to mirror the fighting spir-it of century-maker TomBlundell if they are to bounceback from their second-Testthrashing by Australia.

“Obviously it was hardwork out there, the taskwas immense. But you lookat some small positives...That was a truly fantasticinnings,” he said afterthe 247-run defeat— their secondTest loss insidefour days.

"”He ledthe way andit is impor-tant that weall takesomethingfrom that.

“ T h eeffort fromthe bowlersthroughoutwas somethingthat is inspir-ing to us as ateam, thatnever-give-upattitude.

“But at thesame time if weare looking for

areas to improve there are a fewof them. We do need to try andput Australia under a bit morepressure before their first inningstotal gets past that point of con-

trol.”Australia took

the game awayfrom NewZealand on day

one afterW i l l i a m s o nwon the toss and

took a gamble byputting them in to

bat.It turned out to be

a poor decision, but heinsisted it was a rea-sonable one at thetime.

“I felt like therewas enough in thesurface to bowl firstand it was obviouslyvery important for usto be on top of ourgame and the sur-face did offer somesideways move-ment and swing,”he said.

“But creditto Australiafor gettingthrough thatfirst sessionand put 400

on the board.”

AFP n CENTURION

South Africa broke down stub-born England resistance to

win the first Test of their WorldTest Championship series by 107runs at SuperSport Park onSunday.

England needed 376 to winbut despite some committed bat-ting were bowled out for 268 onthe fourth day of the five-dayencounter.

An enthralling contest swungSouth Africa’s way when left-armspinner Keshav Maharaj bowledBen Stokes to halt a brief flurryof strokes as Stokes and captainJoe Root tried to lift the scoringrate before the second new ballwas due.

The new ball then had animmediate impact with KagisoRabada having Jonny Bairstowcaught at gully before AnrichNortje claimed the crucial wick-

et of Root, who made a fighting48 before he was caught behind.

It was the second time in theday Nortje claimed a wicket withthe second ball of a new spell afterhe made the first breakthrough ofthe day by dismissing top-scor-er Rory Burns for 84.

The remaining wickets fellquickly, with Rabada finishingwith four for 103 and fellow fastbowler Anrich Nortje claimingthree for 56.

Maharaj, who brokeEngland’s first wicket stand of 92on Saturday when he dismissedDom Sibley, took two for 37.

South Africa produced a dis-ciplined bowling performance,making scoring difficult on apitch which always offered some-thing to the bowlers with somesideways movement and unevenbounce.

England added only 50 runsin 25 overs while losing two wick-ets during the morning.

Rory Burns took hisovernight score of 77 to 84 beforemistiming a pull against Nortje tobe caught at mid-on, while Joe

Denly was leg before wicket toDwaine Pretorius for 31.

Burns and Denly saw off thethreat of Vernon Philander andRabada but found scoring diffi-cult.

Philander conceded only onerun in five overs. Rabada gave up23 in six overs, which includedtwo hooked sixes by Denly.

Burns, who faced most ofPhilander’s bowling, adding onlyseven runs off 37 balls. Thechange to Nortje brought animmediate result for South Africaas Burns attempted to pull the fastbowler’s second delivery andsent the ball looping to Rabadaat mid-on.

Nortje made a second crucialbreakthrough when SouthAfrican captain Faf du Plessismade an inspired bowlingchange.

First innings destroyerVernon Philander sent downthree overs with the second newball but was not making the bats-men play many deliveries, so DuPlessis called on Nortje withimmediate success.

Cricket SA change in EngTest victory: Du Plessis

AFP n MELBOURNE

Veteran Australian bowler PeterSiddle announced his internation-

al retirement Sunday after a 67-Testcareer, with national coach JustinLanger praising him as giving his“heart and soul” to the team.

The 35-year-old had been called upto the second Test squad in Melbournebut was not selected in the side to faceNew Zealand and decided to call itquits.

“Just being able to play, to walk out,wear the baggy green — I’d watchedguys like Punter (Ricky Ponting), SteveWaugh, guys like that wear it, representAustralia,” he said.

“Every time I stepped out wasamazing, I don’t think I could pick onespecial one. “At the end of the day, toplay one is amazing, to end up playingwhat I did is truly special.”

Siddle, who played a key role inhelping Australia retain the Ashes inEngland earlier this year, went to theAustralian dressing room at theMelbourne Cricket Ground to tell histeammates personally.

“The year after I retired from play-

ing, Matty Hayden and Ricky Pontingwere raving about this guy called PeterSiddle,” Langer said.

Kane urges morefighting spirit from NZ

Rabada, Nortje plot England’s downfallSouth Africa see offstubborn England toclaim 107-run victory

AFP n MELBOURNE

Captain Tim Paine pointed to team-work on Sunday as the crucial fac-

tor in Australia winning all four homeTests so far this summer — and allinside four days.

After crushing Pakistan twice, theyhave now done the same to NewZealand, wrapping up their three-Testseries against the Black Caps with a 247-run thrashing in Melbourne.

A first-innings Travis Head centu-ry, 85 from Steve Smith and 79 by Painetook the game away from the visitorsafter Australia lost the toss and were putinto bat.

Pat Cummins, James Pattinson andNathan Lyon then led the attack in dis-missing New Zealand twice.

Paine said it was all about playersstepping up when others were havingan off day.

“I think it shows that we’re startingto spread the load,” he said.

“When we work together as a teamand build pressure — one day it’sgoing to be Pat (Cummins), the nextday it’s going to be Nathan (Lyon), thenext day it’s going to be James Pattinson,another day it’s going to be MitchellStarc.

“We just keep driving that home toall our team,” he added.

“If we keep building pressure as ateam we’ve got some absolute firepow-er and we know that all of them aregoing to have their day in the sun.”

Paine said the same applied to thebatting, where some fired in Melbourneand others didn’t.

“The same with the batting, tryingto build partnerships, trying to taketeams’ bowlers really deep, make thembowl lots of overs,” he said.

“At some stage we’re all going to geta chance to score lots of runs as well.”

Paine said he wanted the sameintensity for that game, which meantmuted celebrations in Melbourne withsuch a short turnaround.

“We want to win every Test match,there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

Paine hailsAussiesteamwork

PTI n NEW DELHI

India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is notsure when he will make a comeback to

competitive cricket as it is yet to be ascer-tained whether a surgery is required to treathis sports hernia.

The senior seamer, who is expected to beout for an indefinite period of time, doesn’twant to blame the National Cricket Academyfor allegedly bungling his rehabilitation. He,though, is a bit surprised as to why his her-nia couldn’t be detected earlier.

“World T20 is still good nine monthsaway. I am not thinking about that. First thingis getting fit and I don’t know when I will getfit,” Bhuvneshwar told PTI.

Asked about the NCA’s role, the 29-year-old was predictably defensive and said it’s bestthe BCCI brass deals with it.

“It’s up to BCCI as to how they are goingto take it. They must have had a chat withthe NCA.

“NCA must have tried their best but Idon’t know what went wrong and why theycouldn't diagnose. Still I am not the right per-son to comment on that as it might say some-thing else and BCCI will come up with some-thing else,” said Bhuvneshwar.

Bhuvneshwar also offered a dead defencewhen asked if players are wary of going tothe NCA.

“It’s an individual’s responsibility orwish whether he want to go to the NCA ornot.”

On his recovery process, he said that heis waiting for the doctor’s appointment, afterwhich a clearer picture could emerge on theneed for a surgery.

“There is no surety of surgery, but gen-erally, the standard procedure in case ofsports hernia is surgery. But we still need totake an appointment and I am not sure whereit's going to be. But we are trying to get it assoon as possible.

“Till I consult a doctor, can't say whenwill be the comeback as it will depend on thediagnosis and treatment plan.”

Bhuvneshwar, after being out due to sidestrain post the tour of the West Indies, hadmade a comeback against the same side inthe T20 series earlier this month before beingsidelined again.

“Injuries can be frustrating at times butI am not at all heartbroken. It’s part and par-cel of our journey. I was in good rhythmagainst the West Indies.

“I want to be back at my best but as I saidI don’t know what will be the treatment like.So whatever the doctor says will go with thatthing only,” he said.

Cannot put timelinewhen I will get fit:Bhuvneshwar

BLUNDELL’S TON IN VAIN AS AUS CLINCH SERIESSiddle announces int’l retirement